The Dingo (Canis lupus dingo) is mainland Australia’s apex predator.
They’ve been present in Victoria for over 10,000 years, with at least two populations present: South and Big Desert.
Dingoes have assumed an ecological role in the landscape and are therefore defined as a native Australian species. They can be beneficial in the control of some invasive pest species.
Dingos hold a deep cultural Significance to First Nations communities across Victoria, highlighted in the First Nations Dingo Declaration.
The Dingo is listed as Vulnerable under our state nature laws and protected under Victoria’s Wildlife Act (1975).
For decades it was hypothesised that wild Dingo populations had bred with domestic dogs and become a hybrid of the two.
In recent years genetic research and analysis of Dingos across Victoria found that 93 per cent of 307 tested wild Dingo didn’t have domestic dog DNA, and can be considered pure Dingo (Cairns, K. M et al. 2023).
Under a political instrument called an ‘Order in Council’, this protection is currently switched off to allow the killing of selected species. The Order in Council is placed on Dingoes due to the impact they can have on sheep and other livestock. Due to this order, Vulnerable Dingoes are shot, baited and trapped on public land, including within protected areas such as national parks.
In March 2024 the Victorian Government took a historic step and canned the unprotection order in the north-west to safeguard the surviving Big Desert dingoes. Dingoes in the rest of the state are still ‘unprotected’, with a review being undertaken.
While further research and development is needed, there are alternatives to simply shooting native Dingoes. A range of non-lethal techniques, such as better predator proof fencing, guardian animals and scent-based deterrents are viable options.
It’s time to move away from lethal control of our apex predator and respect its role in our complex natural web of life.
A review of the ‘un-protection’ order against Dingoes is underway.
Ask your Ministers to protect Dingoes state-wide.
A review of the ‘un-protection’ order against Dingoes is underway.
Ask your Ministers to protect Dingoes state-wide.