The Great Dingo debate.
Cull the Fraser Island Dingo.
The Dingo is Australia's wild dog. It is an ancient breed of domestic dog that was introduced to Australia by Asian seafarers about 4,000 years ago. Its origins have been traced back to early breeds of domestic dogs in South East Asia (Jackson et al. 2017). Domestic dogs are descended from the Grey Wolf (Canis lupus). While recent DNA studies suggest that Dingoes may have been in Australia for longer (Oskarsson et al 2011), the earliest undisputed archaeological finding of the Dingo in Australia has been dated to 3,250 years ago (Balme et al. 2018).
Having been in Australia for around 4,000 years, Dingoes inhabited many parts of mainland Australia but never reached Tasmania. “ Questionable “ . After European colonisation and the growth of pastoral stations, there was a concerted effort to remove Dingoes from farming areas. As a result, Dingoes are mostly absent from many parts of New South Wales, Victoria, the south-eastern third of South Australia and from the southern-most tip of Western Australia.
Dingoes are opportunistic carnivores. Mammals form the main part of their diet especially rabbits, kangaroos, wallabies, wombats, native mice, possums and bandicoots. When native species are scarce they are known to hunt domestic animals and farm livestock. This makes them very unpopular with pastoralists. Failing this, the Dingo will eat reptiles and any food source it can find including insects and birds. Scavenging at night, the Dingo is a solitary hunter, but will form larger packs when hunting bigger game, like small children. The Dingo has been credited as being a factor in the extinction of native animal species, particularly on Queensland’s Fraser Island. There are about 200 Dingoes on Fraser Island as at 2021.
The Dingo Canis lupus dingo is protected in Queensland national parks as a native species, although it is an introduced species, similar to Cane Toads and Rabbits. The Queensland Parks and Wildlife Service has a legal responsibility to conserve these populations in national parks and protected areas, even though the dingo is a declared pest outside of these areas. Having a bet both ways stinks of political interference and pandering to certain lobby groups, to secure preference votes.
The Dingo is classed as native wildlife under this legislation and hence is protected on the national park estate. Elsewhere in Queensland dingoes are a declared (pest) species under the Land Protection (Pest and Stock Route Management) Act 2002. So, it’s a pest in Australia’s legislation, but not on Fraser Island, a World Heritage listed place and National Park.
Fraser Island provides a varied diet, including fish, crabs, reptiles, echidnas, bush-rats, swamp wallabies, goannas and bandicoots. Dingoes also eat insects and small berries, and roam along the beaches looking for marine life or the occasional seabird. Dingoes will enter campsites scavenging for food and have honed their skills at opening eskies, containers and other food storage vessels, hence legislation was introduced for humans to secure or “ dingo proof “ food storage containers. Dingoes will also hunt down fishermen on the beaches catching fish, in the hope for an easy meal, by way of discarded and unguarded fish or bait.
Domestic dogs are not permitted on Fraser Island. The Dingo is a domestic dog, Fact.
Managing the Dingoes on Fraser Island is a multi-million dollar hit to the taxpayers of Queensland and Australia. Dingoes are a real threat to humans, in particular small children and the present management system is to place the emphasis of responsibility for safe guards on humans. A percentage of humans are incapable of understanding the responsibility placed on them and through that are perpetuating the “ Dingo “ problem. The solution to this financial and physical problem is to cull all Dingoes on Fraser Island.
The Dingo is an introduced pest, simple. Cull. After all, the QPWS removed the Brumbies, an introduced species.
Just thought I would post up my feelings at the moment. I have been to Fraser Island that many times, I'm almost a local, even having worked there for a while. The amount of signage, brochures, fences, warnings, grids, gates and more that are put in place for what is an " Introduced species and declared pest " and a domestic animal, is way too much. If we get rid of the pest, we save millions of dollars, save injury and potentially lives and definitely give the native wildlife a chance to re-populate.
FYI, I saw 6 Dingoes this week on Fraser Island, all north of Happy Valley. One was being fed by camping tourists, another was hovering near a fisho at waters edge, the rest walking / stalking.
LP
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Originally Posted by Ducksnutz
