Dingoes are a culturally and ecologically significant native wildlife species under threat of extinction – but they’re being lawfully killed. How did we get here, and what can we do?
Two dingoes accompany Bunjil in thousand-year-old rock art at Bunjil’s Shelter, Gariwerd. Photo: Rene Riegal
01/ Dingoes are threatened wildlife deserving protection
Outdated regulations based on old science incorrectly lump native dingoes in with feral dogs, and demonises this culturally significant and threatened wildlife species as a pest – permitting their killing, against the express wishes of the Traditional Owner groups who have co-existed with dingo for millennia:
“We, the people of the Wotjobaluk Nations, have had an immensely strong cultural and spiritual connection to Wilkerr (Dingo) for thousands of years, and it is part of our living cultural heritage. Wilkerr is a very significant Spiritual Relative, which is demonstrated through our Creation Stories and Rock Art. Wilkerr is an important part of our cultural environment and should be protected as a unique population but instead has been persecuted much as we, the Wotjobaluk people have been since Colonisation. We call on the Victorian Government to … stop all other measures that result in the killing and persecution of Wilkerr. Don’t wait until it is too late and they disappear through your neglect. We do not give you permission to kill Wilkerr, and we never did.”
— statement from Wilkerr Cultural Gathering, June 2023, Barengi Gadjin Land Council
02/ Dingoes belong in the landscape
People and dingoes have peacefully co-existed for thousands of years as part of the cultural landscapes managed by First Nations, and it’s possible to protect livestock from predators like the dingo using non-lethal methods.
Dingoes have no natural predators, which means they can be useful to farmers by helping manage the kangaroo, cat and fox populations that threaten livestock and biodiversity. They are far less of a threat to livestock than foxes, feral dogs, and even predatory birds.
When farmers are affected by dingoes and need management measures, we believe the Victorian Government must trial, distribute and resource non-lethal alternatives – including fence electrification and companion animals – so that dingoes can continue to peacefully exist alongside people in the landscape, as they have done for thousands of years.
While landholding lobbyists are in the government’s ear, many farmers want to protect their livestock without killing native animals. Visit Landholders for Dingo to learn more.
03/ Dingoes aren’t dogs
But wild dingoes are feral dogs, introduced pests, or cross-bred hybrids – right? Nope.
The newest and best DNA evidence has refuted past thinking: the vast majority of Victoria’s dingoes are full dingo, not escaped domestic dogs or feral hybrids. The handful of dingoes who do have some feral dog genes have them in small amounts, from generations ago, which indicates dingoes and feral dogs don’t generally breed. Dingoes are a native species under legislation – they arrived in Australia at least 5,000 years ago, which is far longer than the 600-odd years defined by federal biodiversity laws – and have evolved within the Australian landscape to be different from their ancestors and recognised as a native predator by other species.
This means: until the regulations change to remove native dingoes from ‘wild dog’ control schemes, Victoria’s ‘wild dog’ control programs are in fact the wide-scale killing of a threatened native species.
04/ What needs to happen?
Decision-makers must recognise and respect Traditional Owners as decision-makers for culturally significant species, and partner with Traditional Owner groups to protect dingos and assist affected landholders.
For Victoria, that means:
- Replacing the incorrect and pejorative term ‘wild dog’ with the accurate ‘dingo’ and ‘feral dog’ in all policies and legislation
- Maintaining dingo protection in Victoria’s north-west, extending protection state-wide, and ultimately making it a wildlife offence to kill dingoes
- Ending government reliance on lethal control of dingoes
- Removing the ‘wild dog’ bounty now and for good
- Trialling, funding and distributing non-lethal control options to support affected farmers
- Partnering equally with Traditional Owners as decision-makers for culturally significant species, including dingo.
The Federal Government can help by protecting dingoes nationally under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act, and building the evidence base for dingo protection by commissioning research and fact-finding into how many dingoes we have, what’s killing livestock, and how effective non-lethal management measures are.
And everyone can play a role in ensuring Traditional Owners’ knowledge and expertise is centred in dingo decision-making.
05/ How can I help?
The best way to protect and respect dingoes in Victoria is to recognise Traditional Owner groups as decision-makers for culturally significant species, including dingo: they’ve co-existed together for thousands of years, and it’s right that Traditional Owner groups have their say. Read and share the First Nations Dingo Declaration, talk to your friends and family, and write to your representatives to say: I support Traditional Owners as decision-makers for dingo.
