Background
Wild dogs (Canis lupus familiaris or Canis
familiarus domesticus Linnaeus 1758) are distributed more or
less wherever sheep production occurs.
Australia has a significant problem with wild
dogs, which are estimated to cost around $66M a year to
agriculture, primarily by killing lambs and calves. The Queensland
cattle industry estimates that dog attacks alone cost them $9m
annually.
Suitably managing the dog problem is a
particularly difficult one. As well as our many feral dogs,
Australia is home to the dingo (Canis lupus dingo
Meyer 1793) - a native dog of Asia. It was introduced
to Australia prior to the arrival of Europeans (believed to be
about 4000 years ago) and has since been considered by many as a
native Australian species and a functional part of the natural
ecological system as a top order predator (Corbett 1995, Fleming
et al. 2001). Others argue that as a 'recent'
introduction, it should not be considered in the same category as
our marsupial fauna which evolved here.
State laws vary in how dingoes are
considered. Wild dogs are declared animals under the Land
Protection (Pest and Stock Route Management) Act 2002 in
Queensland, and land owners are required to reduce the number of
such dogs on their property. In NSW under the Rural Lands
Protection Act 1998, dingoes, together with hybrids and feral
dogs, are also a declared pest animal. However, also in NSW, 113
reserves have been identified as important for the conservation of
remaining potentially purebred dingoes. See http://www.biodiversity2007.com/abstract/73.htm
and [
here].
In Western Australia, dingoes must be controlled
in agricultural and pastoral areas, but are left undisturbed in the
rest of the state. They are classified as unprotected native
fauna under the Wildlife Conservation Act 1950.
This means that in practise, dingoes (like many
other species) are protected as a native species in land managed
for conservation, but declared a pest in land managed for livestock
production.
In the Northern Territory, however, the dingo is
afforded full legal protection under the Territory Parks and
Wildlife Conservation Act 2000.
People generally perceive 'dingoes' as wild
native animals, and 'feral dogs' as a primarily
peri-urban/agricultural problem, evolving from escaped or abandoned
domestic pets. Recent research has determined that
populations of urban dingoes (usually hybrid animals) exist in most
cities of Australia. These are wild animals living
within urban settings - and have been implicated in a number of
attacks on people and pets. They are known reservoirs
of diseases that affect humans and animals, and can cause
significant economic losses to people and industries along the
urban-agricultural interface (Allen, 2008).
Further complicating the issue, many attacks on
stock come from uncontrolled domestic dogs which are allowed to
roam and form packs at night.
Management
In practice, a balanced approach generally
advocates managing purebred dingoes for conservation if at all
possible, whilst removing problem dogs in agricultural/pastoral
areas. However, feral domestic wild dogs (C. lupus
familiaris) and dingoes have extensively hybridised to the
point where it is considered that few purebred dingoes are now to
be found in the wild. Studies by Corbett and Wilton show the
trend of hybridisation is quite rapid. Recent samples taken
from far southwest Queensland and south-east Australia show few
pure dingoes in the wild. Isolated populations on
Fraser Island, in Arnhem Land, the Kimberley and small sites in
eastern NSW have been tested with approximately 20% of the animals
or less being found to be 'pure dingo'. This
cross-breeding is considered the most significant factor
threatening the long-term persistence of the
dingo. Click [here]
to visit the NT Department of Natural Resources, Environment and
The Arts website page on dingoes for more
information. Many state government programs now
aim to maintain the genetic integrity of dingoes by controlling
wild dogs on the perimeter of protected areas.
In developing integrated and strategic wild
dog and fox management plans, the conservation of the dingo has
been indentified as a key objective by landholders and
conservation groups alike and as such control
programs are developed take into account the protection of dingo
populations.
Wild dogs are usually managed by a combination
of trapping, shooting and baiting. Trapping is time consuming
and labour intensive, with success depending on the expertise of
the operator. It is used primarily in concerted efforts to
catch 'problem' wild dogs (rogue dogs that are repeatedly attacking
stock). Poisoning is problematical, as many land managers are
reluctant to use baits that may also be taken by domestic or
working dogs, and for which there has been no
treatment. Poison baiting is also restricted in some
parts of the country, especially when aerially deployed - partly
because of the risk that non-target species will take the
meat-based baits, and in some cases baits must be buried to reduce
this risk.
Australia has a number of ' dog-proof'
fences in place.
What are we doing?
At our Northern NSW
demonstration site we are attempting to conserve what is
considered a pure line of dingo from hybridisation. In this
instance the population of dingoes has become isolated on a
peninsula of the coast due to urban encroachment. A strategic
management plan is being developed to mitigate the risk of those
dingoes from cross breeding with domestic dogs in the urban
areas. This is being done through a targeted control program
preventing domestic animals entering the conservation area and an
education programme to inform residents of the importance of the
population and how to minimise interaction with dingo populations
by making these urban areas less attractive, ie. not feeding them,
not leaving dog food unattended in yards, properly disposing of
rubbish etc.
The IA CRC has also been working on a new bait
product which has shown considerable promise in trials on foxes,
and potentially dogs. It is very specific to canids (dog
family) and felids (cat family) and is fast acting, with no visible
signs of distress as animals are rendered unconscious
rapidly. We are therefore aiming to produce a bait
product that is more humane and target specific than those
presently available. This major project, if successful,
will offer significant new opportunities for the control of dogs
and foxes, particularly in eastern Australia where aerial baiting
is currently restricted by non-target concerns.
In addition, for the first time there will be an
antidote that may be given to any domestic dogs that take baits
accidentally.
Our goal is that this new tool, in combination
with other initiatives such as the development of an attractant
spray product, Feralmone®, and a mechanical means of
improving bait uptake (M-44 ejectors), will reduce the impact of
wild dogs across the country by 10% by the year
2012.
Pestat Pty Ltd is leading the work on behalf of
Australian Wool Innovation Ltd in close collaboration with a number
of key participants.
In addition to technical development of a new bait, research is
needed into ways of increasing the overall level of dog control
using existing methods. Many agencies have a strong interest in
pursuing this area and a workshop of participants was conducted in
October 2005 to determine priority areas for future work.
Following this workshop, we launched a major demonstration site
in the area worst affected by wild dog attacks - south-eastern
Queensland and north-eastern New South Wales. A
national
wild dog management facilitator has been appointed, operating
out of Toowoomba.
Current projects involving wild dogs being managed through the
demonstration site include:
- Towards best practice for wild canid and felid
management
- Facilitating strategic management of wild dogs throughout
Australia
