Dingoes
The State Government will undertake a dingo 'census' and erect dingo fencing with council around the main waste station on Fraser Island, Climate Change and Sustainability Minister Ms Jones said today. Ms Jones told her Budget Estimates hearing an independent audit of the State Government's Fraser Island Dingo Management Strategy was being finalised. She said these new measures would help form the Great Sandy Region package currently being implemented by the Bligh Government. "I'm advised world renowned dingo expert Dr Laurie Corbett is currently in the final stages of his audit," Ms Jones said. "While he's advised that there appears to be a healthy dingo population with enough natural prey, I want to be fully satisfied that dingoes are prevalent on the island. "I've approved a research project so we can be more certain of the numbers.
"While data collected over the past decade suggest the Fraser Island dingo population naturally fluctuates between about 100 and 200 animals, made up of 25 to 30 separate packs, we're due for another 'count'. "The Department of Environment and Resource Management is working with The University of Queensland, Griffith University and Biosecurity Queensland to draw together various techniques so that more accurate figures can be provided. "The survey will provide a better understanding not only of total numbers but also of other factors such as dingo dispersal across the island, the total number of packs, and the age and composition of those packs. "This type of information, together with that provided by Dr Corbett, will allow us to further fine-tune management strategies for a sustainable dingo population, while ensuring public safety." Ms Jones said DERM was always exploring ways to reduce the risk of human-dingo interaction and in the past had fenced major tourist areas and townships. "The waste transfer station at Eurong is a hot spot right now for dingoes seeking easy assess to human food," she said.
"DERM is working with the Fraser Coast Regional Council to erect dingo deterrent fencing around the area. "The State Government is providing $100,000 towards the project. "Visitor education regarding dingo awareness and safety procedures is also a vital part of our Strategy. "DERM is reviewing the communications strategies used to educate visitors and the public about appropriate behaviour near dingoes in line with my request in June to ensure the approach remains at world's best practice standards. "I reiterate that whatever dingo management activities are undertaken, our number one priority is public safety." Ms Jones said Dr Corbett's audit would be based on reports and statistical data from current research, field observations at major visitor locations, discussions with Queensland Parks and Wildlife Service rangers and more than 70 public submissions. "Dr Corbett's independent audit is part of a continuing assessment of existing management strategies to ensure they contribute to the conservation of a sustainable wild dingo population on Fraser Island while minimising the risk to humans," she said. "I will release his audit report when it is finalised." *ALP media Release
Ed Comment; Its a bit hard to see how this will be an independent audit, when it's done by the State Government, and by Laurie Corbett, the person responsible for the current Fraser Island Dingo Management Plan.
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I too find this strange, that Corbett is auditing himself and that there are no other peer groups that have been invited for imput . Other groups and dingo people have offered advice and suggestions to DERM but this has not been accepted.I would like to know how they intend to count all the dingoes on the Island, personally I think that this is an impossible task unless they ear tag and photograph every dingo. I am totally against ear tagging as all previous efforts have proved disasterous or fatal for the dingo, as the Rangers have made a total botch up of eartagging. Most of the dingoes have suffered dropped ears due to nerves being pinched during tagging.
ReplyDeleteUntil a total Independent Audit is done by Dingo Experts far removed form DERM the results from this present Audit will be flawed and the future of the Fraser Island Dingo will be doomed under the Labor Govt.
I do hope this new count of the dingo population is legitimate. That would be a very positive step forward.
ReplyDeleteI am unsure however that the agency really can claim 'world's best practice standards' when dingoes regularly starve to death which is not very humane or good practice at all. Neither - I think many would agree - is hazing.
It is very sad that they plan to build more fences; but at least they gave the 'tip dogs' time to grow up. Now of course the pups are premature parents themselves. Locals hear them howling every night. Though somewhat ugly, the tip was a safe refuge for the pups; will QPWS/DERM fence every possible place that dingoes can get a free feed or find refuge from the incessant molestation by their so-called caretakers, or will Parks fence every possible place that dingoes can interact with humans? Even when they fence places dingoes still get shot. This is not sustainable conservation. There doesn’t seem to be an end to the lunacy.
Corbett's original so-called 'independent audit' was based on the same data that the new one is based - that provided to him by the agency itself. I hope he really does take into account the 70+ submissions that people have taken great time and effort to prepare for his perusal. It is a shame that DERM did not actually give the submissions to a truly independent auditor, one not being paid by them to agree with his own very outdated original research data (1998) not even collected on the island, which the original management strategy was based on, as well as his 5-day visit to the island.
It's all very incestuous and doesn’t seem to be anything transparent or independent about it at all. The researchers providing the data will be bound by the terms of the FIDMS which state that any researcher must be on friendly terms with QPWS Personnel. 'Friendly' to them seems to mean agreeable. Only time will tell. These research projects seem to span years. Some research which the FIDMS is based on is as yet still unpublished!
A reasonable way to minimize risk to humans on the island is to educate them appropriately about dingo behavior (ie they are not attacking - see attacks by K9's this week at the Gold Coast and Caboolture - they are legitimate attacks). Mimimising risk to DERM of law suits would be a simple as having an 'enter at own risk' policy.
And now it seems they are forcing their plan to make Cooloola a national park. That means we all get to pay an extra $191 per year to drive on the beach; those that have dogs can't bring them camping; we get better signage and more 'visitor guides'... like we get on Fraser? And what? One dunny block?
They invite public consultation - we already consulted with them and they didn’t listen!
Jennifer Parkhurst