When they shoot & trap dingoes, do they really know what they are doing?

Along with koalas and kangaroo's, the dingo is one of Australia's most recognisable and iconic species, and yet it suffers from an identity crises that threatens its continued survival in the wild.

As a top predator, the dingo is not alone in being threatened with extinction. Around the world, species such as wolves, mountain lions, tigers and bears are fighting for survival and in danger of extinction for all the same reasons-man made!

In rural Australia, dingoes are considered the number one pest species due to their attacks on livestock. On Fraser Island because of their potential threat to human safety. As a result they are intensively controlled through 1080 poisoning, trapping and shooting.

But along with myself and others we consider the dingo to be our best chance at saving many native threatened and endangered species from extinction. We must argue for the continued preservation of dingoes and, see that the dingo be reintroduced into some areas and protected!

Dingoes play a critical role in maintaining the health of our ecosystems. They make ecosystems more resistant to the negative impacts of invasive species and climate change.

The most critical effects dingoes have on the Australian landscape are in reducing populations of both overabundant herbivores (such as kangaroos) and introduced smaller predators, specifically cats and foxes. Unchecked kangaroo numbers can devastate habitats, in some cases leading to near complete removal of vegetation and severe erosian. These effects, combined with those of cats and foxes, place huge pressure on our native biodiversity.

Where dingoes are left alone and in reasonable numbers, they are able to reduce cat and fox numbers substantially.

The dingo was recently identified as a threatened species by the Victorian government (partly due to hybridisation with feral domestic dogs or wild dogs.) But at the same time the government aerialbaits and ground baits with 1080 poison to control wild dogs.

Yes dingoes do on occassion kill and eat livestock, but at the same time they also kill millions of kangaroos, feral pigs, goats and rabbits annually. This effect indirectly benefits sheep and cattle by reducing competition for food, and ultimately benefits graziers hip pockets.

The services provided by dingoes come for free, as opposed to the costly pest control and conservation interventions.

We can protect stock using livestock guardian animals (such as Maremma dogs), and still maintain dingoes in the landscape to control the unwanted impacts of cats, foxes and overabundant herbivores.