Exotic Animals - Moderate Pests
Wild Dog
Family: Canidae
Scientific names: Canis lupus familiaris, Canis lupus dingo or hybrids
Background
The term ‘wild dog’ applies to two sub-species of canid; the dingo (Canis lupus dingo), the feral domestic dog (C. lupis familiaris) as well as hybrids of the two. Dingoes have inhabited Australia for about 4000 years, long enough to become a functional part of the natural ecological system as a top order predator. In view of their ecological importance, dingoes are regarded under Northern Territory legislation as ‘native wildlife’. This status affords the dingo full legal protection, making it an offence to possess, interfere with, or kill dingoes unless authorised to do so under the Territory Parks and Wildlife Conservation Act (2000) (TPWCA).
Domestic dogs were introduced to the Northern Territory with European settlement and populations of feral domestic dogs and dingo/domestic dog hybrids are known to exist in the vicinity of human habitation. Wild dogs are common throughout the Northern Territory with the exception of the Tanami Desert where they are relatively sparse due to the lack of available drinking water. However, localised concentrations of dingoes exist in this region where watering points have been introduced, such as on pastoral properties, in mining areas and near areas of human habitation.
Impacts
There are a number of negative or undesirable impacts associated with dingoes and other wild dogs. They are known predators of livestock and they can cause significant economic losses to pastoral production. They are also known to prey upon domestic livestock on rural blocks and they can be a menace to tourists and staff at remote tourist resorts and national parks. Furthermore, they can have an impact on the survival of remnant populations of endangered fauna. Ongoing population management is required to control these impacts, but at the same time, ensure the long-term persistence of dingoes in the wild. Feral domestic dogs and hybrids are potentially a lot more dangerous to humans and livestock and efforts are required to restrict the hybridisation process.
Wild dogs have significant impacts on agricultural production through predation of livestock. Throughout Australia, sheep are the most commonly attacked livestock followed by cattle and goats. In the Northern Territory, livestock production is limited to cattle. Cattle are most vulnerable to wild dog attack at the calf and weaner stage and livestock predation has been found to depend on seasonal conditions, increasing when the availability of alternative prey is low.
Wild dogs are also implicated in the spread of disease such as hydatidosis in cattle and sheep, and heartworm and parvovirus in pet domestic dogs. Hydatidosis leads to the condemnation of offal from slaughtered abattoir cattle in affected areas and has the potential to cause significant economic losses.
Although there are few benefits associated with feral domestic dogs and hybrids, there are several advantages in maintaining wild populations of pure dingoes in the Northern Territory.
Firstly, dingoes have become an important part of the natural ecological system in Australia as a top order predator. They eat a diverse range of species and they are known to keep several native species under control that could otherwise be pests, such as kangaroos and wallabies. They also prey upon introduced pest species such as rabbits, foxes and feral cats which helps to keep their numbers in check.
Secondly, the dingo is a highly social animal. Although they are usually seen alone, most individuals belong to discrete packs that occupy and defend distinct territories year round. They usually only come together as a pack during the breeding season to mate and rear pups. Packs have highly developed male and female hierarchies and breeding is usually only successful between the dominant pair. Subordinate pack members are actively prevented from breeding by the dominant pair. This pack structure can be broken down under intensive baiting regimes, which allows successful breeding between subordinate pairs and a greater population growth rate. A lack of pack structure also means that territories are not being adequately defended which allows the spread of feral and hybrid dogs. Hybrids can breed twice a year, there are no social restrictions to breeding like there is in the dingo, and they are poorer predators than pure dingoes and tend to prey more heavily on livestock.
Thirdly, the dingo is classified as protected wildlife under the Territory Parks and Wildlife Conservation Act (2000), in recognition of its ecological importance. Cross-breeding with domestic dogs represents a significant threat to the long-term persistence of pure dingoes in Australia. Unlike populations of dingoes in southern regions, the genetic integrity of dingoes in the Northern Territory remains intact, affording them significant conservation value.
Management Practices
Wild dog control measures in the Northern Territory have been far less intensive than in other States and Territories, and there has been little or no change in the distribution of dingoes. This is largely because livestock production has been restricted mainly to cattle which are less susceptible to dingo predation than sheep. It is thought that over 90% of Northern Territory wild dogs are pure dingoes, with hybrid and feral domestic dogs occurring mainly in the vicinity of human habitation.
The first reported broad-scale dingo control exercise occurred in 1966 when an aerial baiting campaign was conducted in the Victoria River Downs (VRD) district using strychnine baits. By the mid-1970s, sodium monofluoroacetate (1080) had replaced strychnine as the preferred poison for dingo control due to its specificity to canids and apparent safety in regard to non-target wildlife. Current baiting procedure uses non-refined fresh meat baits (400g beef, horse, donkey or camel meat) delivering 6 mg of 1080 per bait. Baits are distributed by vehicle (and, in some cases, aircraft) to areas frequented by dingoes including water points, roads and tracks. The program restricts the number of baits laid at any one location to thirty.
Alternative methods to poison-baiting include trapping, exclusion fencing and shooting. Within town boundaries control of wild dogs is the responsibility of the relevant town council or landholder.
