General News
17 January, 2025
Dingoes on the move
Consistently dry weather will increase dingoes' visibility beyond the boundaries of parks, a local expert on the native species warns.
Ellisha Martion, founder of Big Desert Dingo Research, is urging livestock producers and the public to understand the ecological and legal implications of this movement.
Mr Martion reminded producers and the public that dingoes were protected on both private and public land in north-west Victoria.
"As they are classified as threatened, the penalties for harming or killing them are significantly higher," she said.
"It is essential people respect these protections and understand the severe consequences of any harm caused to these animals."
Ms Martion said recent scientific research underscored the importance of protecting the population of the Big Desert dingo, or wilkerr as it's known to the Wotjobaluk Nations People.
"Dr Kylie Cairns' study 'Genome-wide variant analyses reveal new patterns of admixture and population structure in Australian dingoes' (May 2023) highlights that the Big Desert dingoes are genetically distinct from all other dingo populations across Australia and that they are pure dingoes with zero domestic dog ancestry," Ms Martion said.
(October 2024) confirms the Big Desert – referred to as the Mallee population – dingo's unique genetic identity and emphasises that they are critically endangered due to inbreeding.
"These findings debunk myths about dingo-dog hybrids and reinforce the need for robust conservation efforts."
Ms Martion said as part of her current research into the dingo population, she had found no evidence of an increase in dingo numbers since their protection was announced on March 14 last year.
"This assessment aligns with the observations of the PIRSA dog trapper as confirmed through a recent freedom of information request," she said.
"The perception of increased dingo activity is likely tied to their search for water rather than population growth."