Fraser Island Dingoes 18/12/09

Dingoes

Nearly 75 per cent of dingoes euthanised on Fraser Island had been eating human food, including steak, an Easter egg, cornflakes, sausages and commercial dog food. Of 92 dingoes , 59 had human food in their guts, with some having no natural food at all. Autopsies confirmed the views of rangers and conservationists - that people continue to deliberately feed the wild animals, discard food or leave it where dogs can get it. This leads to dingoes being put down because they see humans as a food source and become aggressive. Queensland Parks and Wildlife Service rangers have been struggling since the death of Clinton Gage in 2001 to convince visitors - and, particularly, island residents - that feeding is a critical issue in dingo bad behaviour.

Climate Change Minister Kate Jones said autopsies were carried out on dingoes that were put down or that died in other ways, such as being run over. ``It shows dingo feeding has occurred on the island for years, despite the best efforts of (rangers),'' she said. ``A large variety of human food, such as fruit, dog food, bones, beetroot and even a chocolate Easter egg (have been found).'' Island conservationist Mike West said the figures showed those feeding dingoes were creating a problem and it was up to the department to work out where it had gone wrong. The department had previously declared its public education program as ``world's best practice''. ``World's best practice?'' Mr West asked. ``It's closer to world's worst.'' He said most aggression incidents occurred when young dingoes tried to dominate children but the policy of putting them down was over the top. ``Domestic dogs often do this but there are no calls to shoot them,'' Mr West said.

Shark and crocodile deaths were not avenged while dingoes on Fraser Island faced capital punishment. Mr West said the environment would suffer if dingo numbers continued to decline. There were already signs of change, with big goannas commonplace and making pests of themselves inside areas fenced off by rangers. Mr West said the dingo -management plan was clearly not working. Autopsies identified starvation in only one dog while 65 per cent were in good condition with above-average weight. Ms Jones urged Christmas campers and residents not to feed dingoes and to be alert. ``Right now is the most influential time for young dingoes as they explore their surroundings, learn survival skills and adopt good or bad habits,'' she said. ``For this reason, it is vitally important that humans are not associated with food or seen as a food source.'' Fed dingoes expected food and then taught their pups to scavenge, often leading to aggression. People feeding dingoes or leaving food out could be fined up to $4000. Campers should stay close to children and set up camp in fenced areas.

Facts and tips * By not feeding dingoes , you help protect them * Lock away food in strong containers, dingoes will eat anything * Secure rubbish, bury fish offal at least 30cm deep to discourage scavenging * Leave tent wide open so dingoes can see there's no food * Naturally curious, dingoes will approach humans but they do bite * Dingoes are lightning fast - stay within 2m of children * Dingoes are almost as big as a German shepherd * Fraser Island is one of the best places to see pure dingoes * Inbreeding with domestic dogs is threatening their survival * An important predator, they keep the environment in balance * Keep rabbit and feral cat numbers down * Naturally lean, some are sandy-yellow, others black and tan *Courier Mail

Ed Comment; Lots of misinformation in this article above . For a start, Freedom of Information documents have shown that most of the dingoes that have been killed have empty stomachs. We've said it before and we say it again, the Fraser Island Dingo Managment Plan is the worst wildlife management blunder ever committed in Queensland. The Queensland Government claims that dingoes are "naturally skinny" which is nonsense.....a skinny dog is a hungry dog, and thats why people feed them....and they willl never stop that from happening......noone likes to see a starving dog...except the Queensland Government!