The topic of dingoes can raise a few hackles in the arid zone of Australia. There are a number of different opinions as to when this dog arrived, if it should be classed as native and what role it plays in the current ecosystem.
Stretching over 5600 kilometres is the dog fence tracks just north of Roxby Downs and is incorporated into the fence line of the Arid Recovery Reserve. The dog fence marks the boundary between sheep grazing country to the south and cattle to the north. With the reintroduced native species thriving inside the reserve the staff of Arid Recovery wanted to take the next step in returning the ecosystem to pre- European settlement state, and investigate the role a top order predator would play.
In 2007 the “Dingo Project” began within one of the newest expansions to the north of the reserve. In an attempt to investigate how top order predators may control introduced species, a number of cats and foxes were released into the fenced project area along with a male and female pair of dingoes.
The collaring of these dingoes enabled the researchers to track their movements and the ways in which they impacted the feral species populations. The study found that the control of cat and fox populations by dingoes was through predation with all the foxes and half the cats of this study killed by the dingoes.
The project is continuing, increasing in scope from focusing on the role dingoes play as top order predators of feral species. For more information about the study, please see the link below.
Comments
our country. We have been using 1080 since 1963 on "wild dogs" with no reduction in stock losses -but sadly a huge reduction in pure dingoes.
ignorance. The fact the Wolf has been reintroduced into Yosemite with the first Aspens trees growing in more than 70 years due to the Deer being kept in tow should be an example to all the world including Australia in regard t the importance of the Top Land
Predator. Arian Wallach and Adam O'neill have some interesting studies on the Dingo on line. I find it hard to fathom we still use 1080 along with NZ ( in fact 96% of the product ) when the rest of the world has banned this super toxin that kills everything
when secondary poisoning takes place. It is proof of the ignorance that abounds along with a strong and stupid farming lobby. I am from a farming background however I am pleased to say I along with my family are well aware of the importance the Dingo contributes
in helping the Bilby, Quoll and other animals and birds that get taken out by Feral Cats and Foxes when the Dingo is absent. It should be paramount the Dingo is protected in Australia. Now the species is given protection in Victoria there is no logical reason
why this basic right is not granted to the Dingo across the continent. Even Crocodiles and Sharks are protected and the Dingo is still termed vermin in its own homeland. The fact Dr Alan Wilton released DNA research to show the Dingo has been on Aussie soil
for at least 18,300 years and is not protected highlights a double standard in hypocrisy when Minister's like Peter Garrett political point score and slander the Japanese for killing Whales when in our backyard we have almost wiped out the Dingo ( Subspecies
of Alpine Dingoes - population 140, Fraser Island Dingo - population less than 70 ) It is appalling and the Scientific community have a duty of care to protect the Dingo so it is not lost due to ignorance like the Thylacine was in the 1930s in Tasmania with
the same backward mindset.
as closely as possible with the grain of Nature. If dingoes play an important role in ecosystems but are a problem to farmers, then we need to keep the dingoes and change our farming practices - we have the intelligence to do this! If farming can't be developed
to support the amount of people we have, then we need to reduce our numbers! (We should do this anyway - we can't carry on thinking the human population can main its growth. The fact is, it can't!)
levels of 'island naivety'?
medium sized mammals. Naievty is an issue, especially when trying to re-introduce rare species when predator pressure may be accentuated. Re-introduction must be done carefeully by building up numbers of the species you want to re-introduce first before you
expose them to predators. All things considerd medium sized mammals lived with dingoes in balancwe for thousands of years and so are likley to stand a better chance of recoivery with dingoes than foxes or cats, provided re-estab;lishment is done properly.
of science and planning that goes into ensuring that our reserve is ready for another species and to ensure we have done all that we can to give them the best chance of survival.