The Dingo The Issue

Native animal, Good for the environment or Pest?

Introduced into Australia sometime between *18,000 to 20,000 years ago by research according to sources using new DNA techniques, or Was it *8,300 years ago another claim is *3,500 to 4,000 years.

Note: New as of July 2023:

Mitochondrial DNA data collected by scientists from The Royal Society indicates that the dingo has occupied Australia for over 18,000 years, having migrated naturally from central Asia across land bridges that joined the land masses of Australasia during the last ice age (Pleistocene Epoch 18,000BP).

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Links to interesting uTube videos and articles on Dingoes:

Starts with adverts. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pP3V7kOG8L0

https://www.dingoden.net/facts.html

https://www.nma.gov.au/defining-moments/resources/arrival-of-the-dingo

https://www.dingoden.net/noble-spirit.html

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Australia’s dingoes: Vital yet Villainised

https://hsi.org.au/blog/australias-dingoes-vital-yet-villainised

Since colonisation Australia’s dingoes have been relentlessly persecuted, mostly in the name of protecting farm animals. The archaic and cruel methods used to kill them remain largely unchanged for 200 years, not only causing significant suffering and failing to address the issue of predation but putting Australia’s unique biodiversity at risk by disrupting naturally functioning ecosystems.

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Without further research and fossil remains, the discourse on the Dingo's arrival in Australia has been recognized in the past as hypothetical. In any case, it would seem the Dingoes have, as some research sources using new DNA techniques indicate, (Mitochondrial DNA data) they have been part of the Australian landscape for possibly *The range is between 18,000 to 20,000. years. In any case, the Dingo is an endemic part of the Australian flora and fauna and is integral to the environment.

Note! ‘Dingoes have been given their own species status recognizing that it is not descended from dogs or wolves. The name Canis dingo signifies that dingoes occupy their own place on the evolutionary tree.’

The dingo is a medium-sized canine that possesses a lean, hardy body adapted for speed, agility, and stamina. The dingo's three main coat colourations are light ginger or tan, black and tan, or creamy white. The skull is wedge-shaped and appears large in proportion to the body. Their lineage split early from the lineage that led to today's domestic dogs and can be traced back through to Asia.

The earliest known dingo fossil, found in Western Australia, dates to 3,450 years ago. However, * genomic analysis indicates that the dingo reached Australia 8,300 years ago but the human population which brought them remains unknown. Dingo morphology has not changed over the past 3,500 years: this suggests that no artificial selection has been applied over this period.

Dingoes can be tan, dark, black and tan, white, or can have the sable colouration. The outdated description of dingoes has meant purebreds may have been culled under a false premise, contributing to their decline. Often blamed for the loss of livestock, presumed hybrid dingoes have been culled in Australia under the assumption that any dingoes not yellow in colour are not purebred, and therefore not protected. Pure Dingoes will only breed once a year between March and June. The gestation period is approximately nine weeks with the resultant litter producing usually between four and six pups.

The Dingo Difference, from the AUSSIE GUARDIAN

https://www.dingoden.net/

https://www.dingoden.net/noble-spirit.html

With over 250 million feral cats, foxes, pigs, goats, hares and rabbits threatening our native flora and fauna, it is of little wonder that so many natives are vulnerable to the threat of extinction. As unlikely as it may seem, the only natural and highly sustainable solution to the feral pest problem, and the protection of our natives, is in fact the Dingo.

If the Dingo was once again permitted to perform the natural role it had been performing for 20,000 years, there is a strong inference that the balance of Australian biodiversity would drastically improve. Places, where the Dingo has been eradicated, have seen a decline in other native animals and plants. However, where the Dingo has been reintroduced, our native flora and fauna have bounced back as the Dingo has protected our natives against feral threats and the overpopulation of large native herbivores.

Dingoes Aren’t Just Wild Dogs

By Rachel Nuwer

Rachel Nuwer is a freelance science writer based in Brooklyn.

Rather than being the descendants of feral mutts, dingoes are actually in their own unique taxonomical corner

Dingoes might look like your run-of-the-mill mongrel pooch, and for years, researchers assumed the dingo's ancestors were domesticated dogs from East Asia that subsequently went wild. But it turns out that dingoes are more unique than that. They are not only a distinct species but also a distinct group of predators, separate from dogs and wolves, The Scientist reports. 

Dingoes arrived in Australia several thousand years ago, and they were first mentioned as a species in 1793. At that time, they were called Canis dingo. However, their official name was soon changed to Canis lupus dingo, on the assumption that dingoes were, in fact, a subspecies of wolves and within the same evolutionary clade as domestic dogs.

In a new study, researchers challenged that assumption. They examined 69 dingo skulls that dated back to 1900 or earlier—presumably before dingoes would have encountered and interbred with domesticated dogs, which only arrived in Australia when Europeans did. Dingoes, the researchers found, have anatomical features that set them apart from dogs and wolves, including a wider head and longer snout, The Scientist writes. The team also found that dingoes don't necessarily have to be tan-coloured; they can be black, white or dark brown, too. 

The researchers propose restoring the dingo's scientific name to Canis dingo, a name that would recognize the animals as distinct from both wolves and domestic dogs. “Now any wild canid – dingo, dog, or hybrid of the two – can be judged against that classification,” the researchers said in a statement. That's actually of practical importance for purebreds, the team explains, because, while dingoes are a protected species, "current policies in parts of Australia support the conservation of dingoes but the extermination of ‘dingo-dogs’, which are considered a major pest because they kill livestock.”

Thoughts on the Dingo Issue to Obtain a Balanced View

By Phil Cornelius

The controversy regarding the re-wilding of Dingos, their place in Australia, and their impact on other animals’ needs is an environmental and historical view. I have done some considerable research on the subject and believe, as usual, the problem has been the fault of humans bringing sheep, cattle, and the introduction of dogs to Australia. Some escaped owners too become feral dogs. 

There is some considerable conjecture and research around the time Dingoes have been in Australia.

Some sources indicate the Dingo has been part of the Australian landscape for 18,000 to 20,000 years. In any case, the Dingo is an endemic part of the Australian flora and fauna and is integral to the environment. 

Another research finding supports the possibility that the Dingo was possibly introduced by Asian seafarers, possibly, Sulawesi hunter-gatherers, about 3,500 to 4,000 years ago.  The proposal that its origins have been traced back to early breeds of domestic dogs in Southeast Asia is ‘not’ supported by DNA research which has found that Dingoes are not in any way related to any other species on the planet and therefore are a species in their own right and have been named Canis Dingo.

In any case, Dingoes have lived harmoniously as part of the Australian environment for a long time and have fulfilled a function in maintaining stability in the environment. That is until Europeans brought other animals including dogs and upset to the fine balance of this fragile land.

Dingoes have unfortunately been able to interbreed with wild dogs since, which hunt in packs and they are more destructive than single dingoes.

Dingoes are more solitary. Very rarely hunt in packs, mostly alone or in pairs. Through historical research with indigenous people, it seems the Dingo has been a major factor in controlling other native animals including kangaroo populations, which has been successful for some thousands of years. Dingoes are endangered and by repopulating the balance can be restored. It is anticipated their main prey will include feral pests in their native environment. What's left of it anyway. Nobody objects to the death of zebra, buffalo or wildebeest by lions in Africa. This is considered a normal way of life. It is just seen as 'natural' and necessary for survival in the wild. 

Farmers blame dingoes when the animals they shoot are mostly hybrids that assume the habits of the dog rather than the dingo. Purebred Dingoes come in many colour combinations and can be mistaken for crossbreeds and indiscriminately get blamed and shot. I believe introduced sheep and cattle are no longer required in our food chain, so should not be bred.

Sheep farmers are already venturing into growing newly developed grain crops that are proving to be highly successful. This is just one opportunity to move away from animal agriculture. Removing hard-hoofed animals from the environment will give natural grasses a chance to recover from soil impaction and desertification.

Quotes are taken from an article found at the link below:

 https://www.australiangeographic.com.au/topics/science-environment/2022/05/the-dog-fence-3/

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"Extract Quotes" The Dog Fence: what future for this iconic but contentious barrier?

Dingoes live on in Dreaming stories, even though they have largely been eliminated from Traditional Lands just inside the fence line. Urdninyi (wild dingoes) and wilka (tame dingoes) lived in the Flinders Ranges with the Adnyamathanha people for thousands of years, and they remain totemic animals included in local kinship systems. In NSW, the dingo is central to the cosmology of the Barkindji, the First Nations people of much of the Western Division.

Before European arrival, the lands supported a large variety of food sources adapted to the region’s extreme heat and unreliable rains. These included perennial wild tomatoes, dry season wild onions, bush potatoes, wild oranges, emu apples, bush lemons and bananas, quandong, and a plant that stored water in its root system called tjunkul-tjunkul. These, along with the staples of yam daisy, wood duck, malleefowl, red kangaroo, emu, witchetty grubs, and reptiles provided well for Aboriginal communities.

Removing the Dog Fence and relocating 6 per cent of the nation’s sheep flock away from these fragile lands would open up 820,000sq.km for ecosystem restoration, which would promote cultural and ecological renewal on a vast scale.

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THE AUSTRALIAN DINGO

Canis Dingo

The Australian Dingo is a medium-sized carnivorous mammal, averaging 44 cm- 63 cm at the shoulder, and weighing 13 kg– 23 kg. Males are usually larger and heavier than females. Colours vary from sandy yellow to red ginger, with a small percentage born black-tan, cream or white. Pups are born with a black muzzle that usually fades with age. Although they appear similar to domestic dogs, there are many differences between the two.

The dingo is more agile with flexible joints such as rotational wrists, flexible neck and the ability to jump, climb and dig very well making them the ultimate escape artists in captivity. Their canines are longer and sharper than that of a domestic dog to suit their wild, carnivorous diet.

  The dingo is an apex predator contributing to the control of many feral species that threaten Australia’s wildlife and play a very important role within the environment. They are highly adaptable animals being able to survive in most habitats as long as water is available. The dingo was a highly valued companion to the Aboriginal people who used them for warmth at night, hunting companions and even guard dogs.

Numbers in the wild have declined over the years, with the main causes being interbreeding with domestic dogs as well as being shot, trapped or baited by those who believe the dingo is a threat to their livestock.

“Reintroduce the dingo to the environment which has been a natural control of native species.”

Article in the Sunday Mail 18/6/2023.

PLEA TO SA: STOP KILLING DINGOES

By RILEY WALTER

Dingo enthusiasts have called for the South Australian section of the Dog Fence to be pulled down and for the native animal to be better protected after the release of new DNA research. A new research paper published in the scientific journal Molecular Ecology said 87 per cent of South Australian dingoes tested as part of the study were found to be pure dingoes and not interbred “wild dogs” as previously believed.

Association for Conservation of Australian Dingoes president Marilyn Nuske said she was calling for “an immediate cessation of shooting and trapping and killing” of dingoes. “There are plenty of tools that farmers could be using,” she said. “We understand some farmers lose stock to predation by dingoes – let’s face it, it’s our land predator … if farmers are going to farm in an area where our Australian apex land predator lives then … farmers really do need to adopt other measures.”

Ms Nuske said the Dog Fence should be removed to allow the environment to return to a “more balanced situation”. “It should be taken down,” she said. “Let biodiversity return to a more balanced situation.” University of NSW research fellow Dr Kylie Cairns, who led the new research, said previous information held about dingo genetics was based on old DNA testing methods. “Now we know there was a significant amount of that data that was incorrect because it was more likely to identify them (dingoes) hybrid when they weren’t,”

Dr Cairns said. “The animals we have tested, we found far fewer hybrids than we thought.” The Dog Fence was erected in 1946 to protect sheep from wild dogs. South of the fence, wild dogs are classed as a pest declared for destruction, while north of the fence they are classed as unprotected native wildlife. Dr Cairns said she hoped the new research would lead to changes in the way dingoes were managed.

Under the state government’s declared animal policy, wild dogs south of the fence must be destroyed if found on any property, regardless of whether it is used for livestock production. SA’s Department of Primary Industries and Regions (PIRSA) said dingoes and wild dogs living inside the dog fence are managed as a “declared pest” to protect the state’s sheep industry. “Outside of the fence... dingoes are managed as a native animal, and their ecological roles and cultural significance to First Nations people are highly that valued,” a PIRSA spokesman said.

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More Thoughts on Dingos

https://www.dingoden.net/

https://www.dingoden.net/noble-spirit.html

NOBLE SPIRIT

Guardian and Creator      

Dingoes were revered by Indigenous nations as 'creators', who were an irreplaceable part of 'country' and equal to man. Indigenous Australians would often acquire dingo pups from dens and tame them. They were shown great affection, were given names, slept with humans at night, and were protected jealously.

When the first dingoes travelled upon land bridges from Asia to Australia some 18,000 years ago, they found a country rich in provision that was occupied by a people who readily accepted them into their lives. 
Of all animals, the dingo is one of the most well-represented in Indigenous Australian mythology and is included in the Dreamtime (the creation of life, humans, plants and animals) and the Dreaming (core  Indigenous values and spirituality). 
Throughout Indigenous Mythology, dingoes are believed to live in the physical and spiritual realms and are considered valuable camp guardians due to their ability to perceive evil spirits that are undetectable by man.
Dingoes were revered by Indigenous nations as ‘creators’, who were an irreplaceable part of ‘country’ and equal to man.
Indigenous Australians would often acquire dingo pups from dens and tame them. They were shown great affection, were given names, slept with humans at night and were protected jealously. The dingo was so sacred in some tribes that women would nurse dingo pups from their own breasts.
The significance of the dingo to Indigenous Nations is best conveyed through Dreamtime stories of different Nations.

Habitat and Distribution 
Once believed to have been introduced to Australia by Indonesian seafarers some 4000 years ago, modern archaeological evidence now indicates that the Australian Dingo’s origins are in fact far older than originally supposed.  Mitochondrial DNA data collected by scientists from The Royal Society indicates that the dingo has occupied Australia for over 18,000 years, having migrated naturally from central Asia across land bridges that joined the land masses of Australasia during the last ice age (Pleistocene Epoch 18,000BP). As a highly adaptable animal, the dingo spread to all areas of Australia except Tasmania. Their habitat was vast and expansive, including alpine, woodland, grassland, coastal, desert and tropical regions of Australia.
Since European colonisation and the spread of agriculture, there has been an aggressive and consistent push to have the dingo eradicated from many parts of Australia. The dingo is now absent in areas of New South Wales, Queensland, Victoria, the lower third of South Australia and the southern part of Western Australia.
The introduction of domestic dogs has seen a further decline of dingoes from the Australian landscape. Feral dogs and dingo-hybrids now inhabit what was once traditional dingo territory

DINGO CARE

A lifetime of love and commitment. https://www.dingoden.net/noble-spirit.html

Caring for dingoes can be a special and rewarding experience, as much as it can be a challenging and complex one. 

Unlike dogs, dingoes are a natural species that have existed for over 18,000 years. They are one of the world's most ancient and unchanged canid species. Having existed for such a long time, dingoes have developed unique characteristics that make them one of the planet's most adaptable and successful predators. 

These ancient characteristics are hard-wired into every dingo, making them very different to dogs. This uniqueness is what makes caring for dingoes both a special and challenging experience that can last up to 25 years. 

Having a dingo as a companion animal is not an easy task, and is certainly not one that should be taken lightly. Their ways of thinking and acting are very different to the domestic ways of a dog, which if not understood can get the dingo and their owners into trouble or danger. 

Every year across Australia an unknown number of dingoes are illegally dumped, surrendered to animal shelters, or euthanised as a result of unsuccessful care. 

Dingo Den believes that the life of every dingo, including hybrids, is unique and precious. Therefore, our primary mission is to empower dingo owners to become the best dingo carers they can possibly be. ( https://www.dingoden.net/noble-spirit.html )

Understanding and appreciating dingo nature and needs is the key that enables carers to provide their dingoes with the happiest, healthiest and most rewarding lives imaginable. 

To assist in that venture, we are pleased to offer a growing library of information and resources to ensure your dingo is offered the best chance at life.

Dingo effects on the ecosystem visible from space

Satellite images taken over three decades show that keeping dingoes out comes at a price.

Peer-Reviewed Publication

UNIVERSITY OF NEW SOUTH WALES

CREDIT: MIKE LETNIC

The environmental impacts of removing dingoes from the landscape are visible from space, a new UNSW Sydney study shows.

The study, recently published in Landscape Ecology, pairs 32 years' worth of satellite imagery with site-based field research on both sides of the Dingo Fence in the Strzelecki Desert.

The researchers found that vegetation inside the fence - that is, areas without dingoes - had poorer long-term growth than vegetation in areas with dingoes.

"Dingoes indirectly affect vegetation by controlling numbers of kangaroos and small mammals," says Professor Mike Letnic, senior author of the study and researcher at UNSW's  Centre for Ecosystem Science Conclusions: The influence of the trophic cascade was observable at both the landscape and site scales, suggesting that apex predator removal has significantly affected the arid ecosystem’s responses to resource pulses. Analogous effects may exist across the large areas of the planet over which apex predators have been extirpated. "When dingoes are removed, kangaroo numbers increase, which can lead to overgrazing. This has follow-on effects on the entire ecosystem."

The Dingo Fence, which spans across parts of Queensland, NSW and South Australia, was erected in the 1880s to keep dingoes away from livestock. At 5600 kilometres long, it's one of the longest structures in the world.

Up until now, most dingo research has been site-based or conducted using drone imagery. But NASA and the United States Geological Survey's Landsat program - which has been taking continuous images of the area since 1988 - has made landscape-wide analysis possible.

"The differences in grazing pressure on each side of the fence were so pronounced they could be seen from space," says Prof. Letnic.

The satellite images were processed and analysed by Dr Adrian Fisher, a remote sensing specialist at UNSW Science and lead author of the study. He says the vegetation's response to rainfall is one of the key differences between areas with, and without, dingoes.

"Vegetation only grows after rainfall, which is sporadic in the desert," says Dr Fisher.

"While rainfall caused vegetation to grow on both sides of the fence, we found that vegetation in areas without dingoes didn't grow as much - or cover as much land - as areas outside the fence."

A domino effect

Apex predators play an important role in maintaining the biodiversity of an ecosystem.

Removing them from an area can trigger a domino effect for the rest of the ecosystem - a process called a trophic cascade.

For example, an increase in kangaroo populations can lead to overgrazing, which in turn reduces vegetation and damages the quality of the soil. Less vegetation can hinder the survival of smaller animals, like the critically endangered Plains Wanderer.

Changes to vegetation triggered by the removal of dingoes have also been shown to reshape the desert landscape by altering wind flow and sand movement.

"The removal of apex predators can have far-reaching effects on ecosystems that manifest across very large areas," says Prof. Letnic. "These effects have often gone unnoticed because large predators were removed from many places a long time ago.

"The Australian dingo fence - which is a sharp divide between a dingo and non-dingo areas - is a rare opportunity to observe the indirect role of an apex predator."

A harsh, dry landscape

Satellite imagery traditionally only looks at photosynthesizing vegetation - that is, plants, trees and grass that are visibly green.

But the researchers used a model to factor in non-green vegetation, like shrubs, dry grasses, twigs, branches and leaf litter.

"Non-photosynthesizing vegetation has a different reflectance spectrum to photosynthesizing vegetation," says Dr Fisher.

"By using the satellite image and a calibrated scientific model, we were able to estimate the non-green vegetation cover - which is especially important when studying a desert landscape." The model was developed by the Joint Remote Sensing Research Program, a collaborative group that includes UNSW.

While there are other contributing factors to the difference in vegetation - for example, differing rainfall patterns and land use - the satellite imagery and site analysis showed dingoes played a central role.

"There were clear differences in landscape on either side of the dingo fence," says Dr Fisher. "Dingoes may not be the whole explanation, but they are a key part of it."

Harnessing satellite intelligence

Satellite image technology is a powerful tool for assessing the large-scale role of not only dingoes but all kinds of environmental change.

In 2019, researchers from UNSW Engineering used powerful satellite radar imaging technology to map severe floods in near real-time - intelligence that could help emergency services make tactical decisions during extreme weather events.

Dr Fisher hopes to next use Landsat imagery - which is freely available to download - to study how different amounts of vegetation can influence bushfire frequency.

"Our study is an example of how satellite technology can be used in big-picture environmental research," says Dr Fisher.

"With over three decades' worth of data, this technology has opened up so many research possibilities."

PLEA TO SA: STOP KILLING DINGOES

RILEY WALTER

Dingo enthusiasts have called for the South Australian section of the Dog Fence to be pulled down and for the native animal to be better protected after the release of new DNA research. A new research paper published in the scientific journal Molecular Ecology said 87 per cent of South Australian dingoes tested as part of the study were found to be pure dingoes and not interbred “wild dogs” as previously believed.

Association for Conservation of Australian Dingoes president Marilyn Nuske said she was calling for “an immediate cessation of shooting and trapping and killing” of dingoes. “There are plenty of tools that farmers could be using,” she said. “We understand some farmers lose stock to predation by dingoes – let’s face it, it’s our land predator … if farmers are going to farm in an area where our Australian apex land predator lives then … farmers really do need to adopt other measures.”

Ms Nuske said the Dog Fence should be removed to allow the environment to return to a “more balanced situation”. “It should be taken down,” she said. “Let biodiversity return to a more balanced situation.” University of NSW research fellow Dr Kylie Cairns, who led the new research, said previous information held about dingo genetics was based on old DNA testing methods. “Now we know there was a significant amount of that data that was incorrect because it was more likely to identify them (dingoes) hybrid when they weren’t,”

Dr Cairns said. “The animals we have tested, we found far fewer hybrids than we thought.” The Dog Fence was erected in 1946 to protect sheep from wild dogs. South of the fence, wild dogs are classed as a pest declared for destruction, while north of the fence they are classed as unprotected native wildlife. Dr Cairns said she hoped the new research would lead to changes in the way dingoes were managed.

Under the state government’s declared animal policy, wild dogs south of the fence must be destroyed if found on any property, regardless of whether it is used for livestock production. SA’s Department of Primary Industries and Regions (PIRSA) said dingoes and wild dogs living inside the dog fence are managed as a “declared pest” to protect the state’s sheep industry. “Outside of the fence... dingoes are managed as a native animal, and their ecological roles and cultural significance to First Nations people are highly that valued,” a PIRSA spokesman said.

The biggest factor overlooked in the areas where a large population of kangaroos exists is the natural control factor of predation. Having largely reduced or removed, the natural apex predator, the Dingo population, nature’s normal balancing control method is out of balance. The invasion of the Whiteman and his introduced animals is what has unbalanced the natural ecology of Australia. There is no place for destructive hard hooved animals on Australian soils.

Unsustainable animal agriculture and the removal of the apex predator are basic problems. In experimental areas where the natural balance has been restored, the ecology is normalizing.

In answer to the question, is it dangerous to be near dingoes

Being near dingoes can potentially be dangerous, especially if certain precautions are not taken. Dingoes are wild canines native to Australia, and while they are generally shy and avoid human contact, there have been instances where they have approached or interacted with people, leading to incidents.

Here are some factors to consider regarding the potential dangers of being near dingoes:

1. Wild Animals: Dingoes are wild animals, and their behaviour can be unpredictable. Just like any other wild animal, they may feel threatened or act defensively if they perceive you as a threat to their territory or young.

2. Feeding and Habituation: Feeding dingoes or leaving food scraps around campsites can cause them to become habituated to human presence and associate people with a food source. This can lead to bolder behaviour and increase the risk of negative encounters.

3. Dingo-Dog Interaction: If you are walking a domestic dog in areas where dingoes are present, there might be a risk of dingo-dog interactions, which could result in conflicts or injuries to either animal or even to you as a dog owner.

4. Protecting Their Territory: Dingoes are territorial animals, and if you unintentionally enter their territory, they may become defensive and aggressive.

5. Safety Guidelines: It's essential to follow safety guidelines and advice provided by local authorities and wildlife experts in areas where dingoes are known to roam. These guidelines may include keeping a safe distance, not feeding them, and properly securing food and waste.

6. Small Children: Parents should be particularly cautious if they have small children, as dingoes may perceive them differently from adults and could see them as potential prey.

If you encounter a dingo, it's crucial to remain calm and avoid running away, as this can trigger a chase response. Instead, maintain eye contact, stand tall, and slowly back away without turning your back on the animal. In most cases, dingoes will avoid human contact if given space.

If you plan to visit areas where dingoes are present, it's best to educate yourself about local guidelines and take necessary precautions to ensure your safety and the safety of the animals. Always respect their wild nature and remember that dingoes are a vital part of the Australian ecosystem.