Dingoes
"..they are the only australian native classed as vermin, how sad that such a noble and loving companion is now regarded as a pest, it is not just cruel but a betrayal of the highest order”
The Save the Fraser Island Dingo website is here ... http://www.savefraserislanddingoes.com/ with lots of info about the FI dingoes......*
Tuesday, August 9, 2011
Wild Dogs 10/8/11
A group of Victorian researchers hope dingo urine could become a weapon in the fight against wild dog populations.
The group aims to detect the distinct scents in the urine that send no-trespassing messages to other dogs, as a non-lethal way of controlling the animals that are classed as pests.
The Department of Sustainability and Environment, the body leading the research, says wild dogs cause about $18 million worth of damage to agricultural production in Victoria each year.
Advertisement: Story continues below "We know that dogs mark their territories with urine and that the chemicals in the urine contain messages that other dogs understand," DSE scientist Alan Robley said.
"The research aims to isolate those chemicals and work out which odour is responsible for sending the no-trespassing message."
Dr Robley says the ultimate goal was to develop a product that could act as a barrier to wild dogs entering farms or suburbs.
The researchers have tested urine samples from eight dingoes and identified more than 20 chemicals.
"So far the dominant smells in the urine have been identified as resembling a mixture of strawberries and cardboard," Dr Robley said.
The DSE will trade its dingo data with researchers in Botswana who are working on identifying chemical signals in the urine of urine of wild African dogs.
AAP
Read more: http://www.theage.com.au/environment/animals/urine-could-hold-key-to-wild-dog-control-20110803-1ib80.html#ixzz1UYzuz6ag
The group aims to detect the distinct scents in the urine that send no-trespassing messages to other dogs, as a non-lethal way of controlling the animals that are classed as pests.
The Department of Sustainability and Environment, the body leading the research, says wild dogs cause about $18 million worth of damage to agricultural production in Victoria each year.
Advertisement: Story continues below "We know that dogs mark their territories with urine and that the chemicals in the urine contain messages that other dogs understand," DSE scientist Alan Robley said.
"The research aims to isolate those chemicals and work out which odour is responsible for sending the no-trespassing message."
Dr Robley says the ultimate goal was to develop a product that could act as a barrier to wild dogs entering farms or suburbs.
The researchers have tested urine samples from eight dingoes and identified more than 20 chemicals.
"So far the dominant smells in the urine have been identified as resembling a mixture of strawberries and cardboard," Dr Robley said.
The DSE will trade its dingo data with researchers in Botswana who are working on identifying chemical signals in the urine of urine of wild African dogs.
AAP
Read more: http://www.theage.com.au/environment/animals/urine-could-hold-key-to-wild-dog-control-20110803-1ib80.html#ixzz1UYzuz6ag
Tuesday, July 26, 2011
Dingoes 27/7/11
Dingoes
“..they are the only australian native classed as vermin, how sad that such a noble and loving companion is now regarded as a pest, it is not just cruel but a betrayal of the highest order”
The Save the Fraser Island Dingo website is here ... http://www.savefraserislanddingoes.com/ with lots of info about the FI dingoes......*
“..they are the only australian native classed as vermin, how sad that such a noble and loving companion is now regarded as a pest, it is not just cruel but a betrayal of the highest order”
The Save the Fraser Island Dingo website is here ... http://www.savefraserislanddingoes.com/ with lots of info about the FI dingoes......*
Wednesday, June 29, 2011
Fraser Island Dingoes 30/6/11
Fraser Island Dingoes
Here is a must watch Video on how DERM are interfering with the Fraser Island dingoes.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xSSaknF6Wnw&feature=feedu
Dingoes
Dingoes have become such a problem in the state's (Sth Australia) north that the local MP is calling for the introduction of a $200-a-head bounty. Farmers are warning the viability of some sheep farming could be at risk if dingo numbers continue to grow. Liberal MP for Stuart Dan van Holst Pellekaan has told Parliament the dingoes are "ravaging pastoral stock in SA below the dog fence" which is meant to keep them out of farming areas. "The difficulty with dingoes is they are extremely hard to shoot, to poison and to trap," Mr van Holst Pellekaan said. Dingoes are pushing south because the bumper season in the Outback is providing ideal breeding conditions. A property near Broken Hill has lost 3000 lambs to dingoes in the past two years. Dingoes are supposed to be kept out of pastoral areas by the 5320km dog fence, which runs from outside Brisbane to the Nullarbor Plain.
South of the fence, dingoes are prescribed pests which can be shot or baited. "I believe that we ought to have a system whereby people who shoot a dingo can claim a bounty from the government," Mr van Holst Pellekaan said. He said he believed the only people who should collect the bounty would be pastoralists with leases below the dog fence who were already taking part in other government programs for the culling of dingoes. SA Farmers' Federation president Peter White said reports from the pastoral country showed there could be as many as 200 dingoes breeding. "We have seen some substantial stock losses in some areas," he said. He welcomed the idea of a bounty, saying "anything we can do to reduce these numbers is certainly a good idea". If dingo numbers continued to grow, the viability of running sheep in some areas could be at risk. The Government is unlikely to support the move with Environment Department chief executive Allan Holmes saying four major studies on bounty systems in Australia had concluded they were flawed. He said Natural Resource Management boards were best placed to deal with regional problems of this sort and bounties were not one of the recommended methods. *SA News
Here is a must watch Video on how DERM are interfering with the Fraser Island dingoes.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xSSaknF6Wnw&feature=feedu
Dingoes
Dingoes have become such a problem in the state's (Sth Australia) north that the local MP is calling for the introduction of a $200-a-head bounty. Farmers are warning the viability of some sheep farming could be at risk if dingo numbers continue to grow. Liberal MP for Stuart Dan van Holst Pellekaan has told Parliament the dingoes are "ravaging pastoral stock in SA below the dog fence" which is meant to keep them out of farming areas. "The difficulty with dingoes is they are extremely hard to shoot, to poison and to trap," Mr van Holst Pellekaan said. Dingoes are pushing south because the bumper season in the Outback is providing ideal breeding conditions. A property near Broken Hill has lost 3000 lambs to dingoes in the past two years. Dingoes are supposed to be kept out of pastoral areas by the 5320km dog fence, which runs from outside Brisbane to the Nullarbor Plain.
South of the fence, dingoes are prescribed pests which can be shot or baited. "I believe that we ought to have a system whereby people who shoot a dingo can claim a bounty from the government," Mr van Holst Pellekaan said. He said he believed the only people who should collect the bounty would be pastoralists with leases below the dog fence who were already taking part in other government programs for the culling of dingoes. SA Farmers' Federation president Peter White said reports from the pastoral country showed there could be as many as 200 dingoes breeding. "We have seen some substantial stock losses in some areas," he said. He welcomed the idea of a bounty, saying "anything we can do to reduce these numbers is certainly a good idea". If dingo numbers continued to grow, the viability of running sheep in some areas could be at risk. The Government is unlikely to support the move with Environment Department chief executive Allan Holmes saying four major studies on bounty systems in Australia had concluded they were flawed. He said Natural Resource Management boards were best placed to deal with regional problems of this sort and bounties were not one of the recommended methods. *SA News
Wednesday, January 19, 2011
New Australian Animal Flood Appeal
Sydney Pet Rescue & Adoption, has launched the Animal Flood Victims Emergency Appeal, and together with various other rescue groups, they are working hard to raise funds to support animals affected by the recent devastating floods in Qld. The Wildlife Protection Association of Australia is one of the organisations they have chosen to support with the Appeal. We will be using the funds they raise to support foster carers in the worst affected and priority areas, with financial support to assist with the rescue and foster care of wildlife. ……….We thank SPRA and all the rescue groups who are working hard with them, for their support…..
Please click on this link to find out more about the appeal: SPRA Flood Animal Appeal Here!
Please click on this link to find out more about the appeal: SPRA Flood Animal Appeal Here!
Tuesday, January 18, 2011
Fraser Dingoes 18/1/11
Dingoes
The dingo that attacked a Korean tourist on Fraser Island at the weekend will be killed if it can be identified. The incident early on Sunday morning saw the 41-year-old tourist bitten on the leg, hand and forearm by a dingo on 75 Mile Beach at Eurong. The woman and her friend had been surrounded by a pack of five dingoes when one lunged forward, attacking her. DERM's Regional Manager Ross Belcher said the behaviour of the dingo had posed a clear threat to the safety of visitors and the local community. “If the dingo is positively identified, it will have to be put down to protect public safety,” he said. “Through the introduction of the Dingo Management Strategy the number of dingoes having to be destroyed as a result of dangerous behaviour has decreased from as many as 14 in 2002 to five in 2010. “This incident serves as an ongoing reminder of the unpredictable and dangerous nature of dingoes on Fraser. They are wild animals and need to be treated as such.”
As rangers tried to identify the dingo yesterday politicians and wildlife lobby groups seized on the incident to attack DERM's current dingo management policy. State Member for Hervey Bay Ted Sorensen said Fraser Island was a major tourist attraction and people had the right to be safe from these attacks. “DERM's dingo strategy has never been peer-reviewed and problems identified by the island's visitors and residents have simply been ignored,” he said. Malcom Kilpatrick from Save Fraser Island Dingoes said the bottom line was that the management strategy “had some good points, but it did have problems and they needed to be fixed now”. “If it was the alpha male leader of the pack that attacked the tourist and it is chased down and shot you can just about say goodbye to the other members of the pack because they won't survive without their leader. “That means five dingoes may die because of this one incident and that is a tragedy,” Mr Kilpatrick said. *Fraser Coast Chronicle
The dingo that attacked a Korean tourist on Fraser Island at the weekend will be killed if it can be identified. The incident early on Sunday morning saw the 41-year-old tourist bitten on the leg, hand and forearm by a dingo on 75 Mile Beach at Eurong. The woman and her friend had been surrounded by a pack of five dingoes when one lunged forward, attacking her. DERM's Regional Manager Ross Belcher said the behaviour of the dingo had posed a clear threat to the safety of visitors and the local community. “If the dingo is positively identified, it will have to be put down to protect public safety,” he said. “Through the introduction of the Dingo Management Strategy the number of dingoes having to be destroyed as a result of dangerous behaviour has decreased from as many as 14 in 2002 to five in 2010. “This incident serves as an ongoing reminder of the unpredictable and dangerous nature of dingoes on Fraser. They are wild animals and need to be treated as such.”
As rangers tried to identify the dingo yesterday politicians and wildlife lobby groups seized on the incident to attack DERM's current dingo management policy. State Member for Hervey Bay Ted Sorensen said Fraser Island was a major tourist attraction and people had the right to be safe from these attacks. “DERM's dingo strategy has never been peer-reviewed and problems identified by the island's visitors and residents have simply been ignored,” he said. Malcom Kilpatrick from Save Fraser Island Dingoes said the bottom line was that the management strategy “had some good points, but it did have problems and they needed to be fixed now”. “If it was the alpha male leader of the pack that attacked the tourist and it is chased down and shot you can just about say goodbye to the other members of the pack because they won't survive without their leader. “That means five dingoes may die because of this one incident and that is a tragedy,” Mr Kilpatrick said. *Fraser Coast Chronicle
Friday, January 7, 2011
Fraser Dingoes and Jennifer Parkhurst, 8/1/11
SMH Report
The wildlife photographer Jennifer Parkhurst fell foul of the law trying to protect the island's harried inhabitants, writes Frank Robson.
Jennifer Parkhurst's war with the custodians of Fraser Island's dingoes began when she saw rangers setting traps for the harried animals atop a sand dune. It was 2003, two years after a nine-year-old boy had died in a dingo attack, and the traps were part of the Queensland government's radical crackdown on human-dingo interaction within the world-renowned national park.
Parkhurst, a wildlife photographer, approached the rangers and asked to see the traps. They were the usual cruel-looking devices, but the rangers assured her that a covering of rubber on the jaws meant the dingoes would not be hurt. Once trapped, they would be ear-tagged for identification and then released.
"So I said, 'OK, if they don't hurt, let's pop your arm in one and trigger it,'" Parkhurst says. "But they didn't go for that idea. After that, relations between me and DERM [Queensland's Department of Environment and Resource Management] got steadily worse."
Advertisement: Story continues below Over ensuing years, rangers killed scores of "problem" dingoes and fenced off the island's residential communities and campsites to isolate the animals from humans. Signs were erected and brochures depicting dingoes as fearsome, toothy killers liable to attack at any moment were distributed, with a warning that anyone feeding them would be ordered off the island and fined up to $3000.
Cut off from their human food sources - rubbish tips, camp bins and the island residents who had fed them scraps for decades - and with their natural habitat under siege by up to 350,000 tourists a year, Fraser's native dogs, one of the purest dingo strains left in Australia, became desperate victims of Queensland's bizarre tourism-native species juggling act.
Snapshots by island residents show emaciated dingoes standing plaintively outside the communities' electrified cattle grids or dragging legs injured by the department's "harmless" traps or being "hazed" (shot at by rangers with slingshots and pellets) away from carloads of excitable backpackers. In some cases, autopsies of those killed by rangers revealed nothing in their stomachs but sand or plastic waste or grass.
"To see these beautiful animals in that condition broke my heart," Parkhurst says. "The Queensland Parks and Wildlife Service [a department agency] estimates there are more than 200 dingoes on the island, but even allowing for seasonal breeding variations I think there are a lot less than that."
For years, Parkhurst, 43, travelled daily from her home at Rainbow Beach to photograph one of the island's 10 dingo packs at Hook Point, on Fraser's southern tip.
Increasingly at odds with the rangers, who suspected her of illegally feeding the pack, she was woken early on August 25, 2009, by five department officials and a policeman, who had a warrant to search her home.
Six hours later, they left, taking all her computer files about dingoes, including a book she was writing, 90 department dingo autopsy reports she had obtained through freedom-of-information searches, and her spirited analysis of the department's dingo management stuff-ups. They took her still and video footage of dingoes, her journals, field notes and even photos of "K9", her pet dog of 16 years which died not long before the raid. (Most of the material has yet to be returned.)
On November 3 last year, Parkhurst appeared in Maryborough Magistrates Court and pleaded guilty to 46 charges related to feeding and "disturbing" dingoes in the Great Sandy National Park (Fraser Island) between July 2008 and August 2009.
Pleading not guilty wasn't an option: among the videos seized was footage of her feeding members of the Hook Point dingo pack and celebrating Christmas Day 2008, with the pack and her now former boyfriend. Parkhurst is heard to say: "Three roast chickens … disappeared in seconds, but gee whiz, they loved it."
(The videos seized also contained footage shot by Parkhurst of a veteran ranger, Les Gallehawk, feeding dingoes a bucket of fish at the same location. Gallehawk was sacked and fined $300 for his action last year. "I'm not allowed to say anything about it," he said from his home. "I had to sign an agreement after I got sacked.")
She was fined $40,000 and received a nine-month jail term, suspended for three years. The magistrate, John Smith, referred to the "deliberate nature" of Parkhurst's offending, saying she had engaged in a covert campaign over a long period and had sought to hide her offending from rangers.
At her home, Parkhurst told the Herald she had been made a scapegoat for the department's flawed management of Fraser Island. She believes the harshness of her sentence was linked to her role as an activist against the government's treatment of island dingoes. "I have to take responsibility for what I did," she adds, "but I don't accept that feeding starving animals makes them dangerous. I believe if everyone was feeding them - as residents and rangers used to - they would be less of a risk to visitors, not more."
Before her court appearance, rangers killed five of the juvenile dingoes Parkhurst had fed and given names to, claiming they had become habituated and had "attacked" humans. "My actions put the spotlight on that pack, and that's what got them killed. That's what I'm remorseful about … yet I hope people can understand how horrific it was watching those animals starving. It's such a slow, cruel, horrible process."
Sydney Morning Herald 8/1/11
The wildlife photographer Jennifer Parkhurst fell foul of the law trying to protect the island's harried inhabitants, writes Frank Robson.
Jennifer Parkhurst's war with the custodians of Fraser Island's dingoes began when she saw rangers setting traps for the harried animals atop a sand dune. It was 2003, two years after a nine-year-old boy had died in a dingo attack, and the traps were part of the Queensland government's radical crackdown on human-dingo interaction within the world-renowned national park.
Parkhurst, a wildlife photographer, approached the rangers and asked to see the traps. They were the usual cruel-looking devices, but the rangers assured her that a covering of rubber on the jaws meant the dingoes would not be hurt. Once trapped, they would be ear-tagged for identification and then released.
"So I said, 'OK, if they don't hurt, let's pop your arm in one and trigger it,'" Parkhurst says. "But they didn't go for that idea. After that, relations between me and DERM [Queensland's Department of Environment and Resource Management] got steadily worse."
Advertisement: Story continues below Over ensuing years, rangers killed scores of "problem" dingoes and fenced off the island's residential communities and campsites to isolate the animals from humans. Signs were erected and brochures depicting dingoes as fearsome, toothy killers liable to attack at any moment were distributed, with a warning that anyone feeding them would be ordered off the island and fined up to $3000.
Cut off from their human food sources - rubbish tips, camp bins and the island residents who had fed them scraps for decades - and with their natural habitat under siege by up to 350,000 tourists a year, Fraser's native dogs, one of the purest dingo strains left in Australia, became desperate victims of Queensland's bizarre tourism-native species juggling act.
Snapshots by island residents show emaciated dingoes standing plaintively outside the communities' electrified cattle grids or dragging legs injured by the department's "harmless" traps or being "hazed" (shot at by rangers with slingshots and pellets) away from carloads of excitable backpackers. In some cases, autopsies of those killed by rangers revealed nothing in their stomachs but sand or plastic waste or grass.
"To see these beautiful animals in that condition broke my heart," Parkhurst says. "The Queensland Parks and Wildlife Service [a department agency] estimates there are more than 200 dingoes on the island, but even allowing for seasonal breeding variations I think there are a lot less than that."
For years, Parkhurst, 43, travelled daily from her home at Rainbow Beach to photograph one of the island's 10 dingo packs at Hook Point, on Fraser's southern tip.
Increasingly at odds with the rangers, who suspected her of illegally feeding the pack, she was woken early on August 25, 2009, by five department officials and a policeman, who had a warrant to search her home.
Six hours later, they left, taking all her computer files about dingoes, including a book she was writing, 90 department dingo autopsy reports she had obtained through freedom-of-information searches, and her spirited analysis of the department's dingo management stuff-ups. They took her still and video footage of dingoes, her journals, field notes and even photos of "K9", her pet dog of 16 years which died not long before the raid. (Most of the material has yet to be returned.)
On November 3 last year, Parkhurst appeared in Maryborough Magistrates Court and pleaded guilty to 46 charges related to feeding and "disturbing" dingoes in the Great Sandy National Park (Fraser Island) between July 2008 and August 2009.
Pleading not guilty wasn't an option: among the videos seized was footage of her feeding members of the Hook Point dingo pack and celebrating Christmas Day 2008, with the pack and her now former boyfriend. Parkhurst is heard to say: "Three roast chickens … disappeared in seconds, but gee whiz, they loved it."
(The videos seized also contained footage shot by Parkhurst of a veteran ranger, Les Gallehawk, feeding dingoes a bucket of fish at the same location. Gallehawk was sacked and fined $300 for his action last year. "I'm not allowed to say anything about it," he said from his home. "I had to sign an agreement after I got sacked.")
She was fined $40,000 and received a nine-month jail term, suspended for three years. The magistrate, John Smith, referred to the "deliberate nature" of Parkhurst's offending, saying she had engaged in a covert campaign over a long period and had sought to hide her offending from rangers.
At her home, Parkhurst told the Herald she had been made a scapegoat for the department's flawed management of Fraser Island. She believes the harshness of her sentence was linked to her role as an activist against the government's treatment of island dingoes. "I have to take responsibility for what I did," she adds, "but I don't accept that feeding starving animals makes them dangerous. I believe if everyone was feeding them - as residents and rangers used to - they would be less of a risk to visitors, not more."
Before her court appearance, rangers killed five of the juvenile dingoes Parkhurst had fed and given names to, claiming they had become habituated and had "attacked" humans. "My actions put the spotlight on that pack, and that's what got them killed. That's what I'm remorseful about … yet I hope people can understand how horrific it was watching those animals starving. It's such a slow, cruel, horrible process."
Sydney Morning Herald 8/1/11
Fraser Dingoes, 8/1/11
AMONG Fraser Island's 100 or so permanent residents, stories vary about the circumstances leading to the killing of a nine-year-old Brisbane boy, Clinton Gage, by two dingoes near Waddy Point, on the island's northern tip, on April 30, 2001.
Some say Clinton and his younger brother Dylan (who was bitten but survived) were seen by other campers taunting and throwing things at the animals; others believe an earlier severe bushfire wiped out food sources and created a "dangerous mood" among two near-starving dingo packs competing for scraps in the area where Clinton was killed.
Whatever the cause, the tragedy was the catalyst for all that followed. According to a dingo researcher, Dr Ian Gunn, the state government's harsh treatment of the island's dwindling dog packs has brought them to the edge of extinction.
Advertisement: Story continues below "The detailed studies and records collected by Jennifer Parkhurst have exposed the dingoes' plight," the Monash University vet, who heads the National Dingo Preservation and Recovery Program, said.
"Things like starvation, poor survival of pups, inhumane treatment of dogs through tagging and culling methods, and hassling by visitors must be addressed immediately to save these animals from impending extinction."
The Queensland Department of Environmental Resource Management does not accept the dingoes are starving. Its website says they have enough natural food sources, but are "naturally lean" and subject to seasonal and pack-status weight variations.
To support this, the site displays four photographs of what it says is the same female juvenile - identified by its ear tag as "purple/yellow/yellow"- observed over 11 months. In the first photo the dingo appears to be starving; the others show a dated progression as it "regained weight quickly".
But a Fraser Island resident, Judi Daniel, says the department item shows three different dingoes.
"It's a complete concoction," the retired journalist said at her home in the village of Eurong. "I took the first photo of the starving female, which died soon afterwards in a fight with other dingoes, and it ended up on various websites.
''Without my permission, DERM hooked it off the net and used it as part of its propaganda beat-up."
Daniel said the next two photos in the department series did show the "purple/yellow/yellow" dingo, but the last photo was another ring-in with a different-coloured ear tag.
Terry Harper, the general manager of the Queensland Parks and Wildlife Service, admitted the first photo in the series was taken by Daniel, but insisted only one dingo is shown: "Although it lost its ear tag [at some stage] … all the photos are of the same animal."
Daniel says rumours persist that rangers are under instruction to secretly feed dingoes to avoid bad publicity over them starving.
"The crazy thing about all this is that dingoes are very social animals,'' she said. ''They were camp dogs with the island's Aborigines for thousands of years, and they actually like people.
''Then, suddenly, they're tagged, demonised, brutalised and confronted daily by tourists who shriek and scream at the sight of them. And they just don't understand why." Sydney Morning Herald, Jan 8. 2011
Some say Clinton and his younger brother Dylan (who was bitten but survived) were seen by other campers taunting and throwing things at the animals; others believe an earlier severe bushfire wiped out food sources and created a "dangerous mood" among two near-starving dingo packs competing for scraps in the area where Clinton was killed.
Whatever the cause, the tragedy was the catalyst for all that followed. According to a dingo researcher, Dr Ian Gunn, the state government's harsh treatment of the island's dwindling dog packs has brought them to the edge of extinction.
Advertisement: Story continues below "The detailed studies and records collected by Jennifer Parkhurst have exposed the dingoes' plight," the Monash University vet, who heads the National Dingo Preservation and Recovery Program, said.
"Things like starvation, poor survival of pups, inhumane treatment of dogs through tagging and culling methods, and hassling by visitors must be addressed immediately to save these animals from impending extinction."
The Queensland Department of Environmental Resource Management does not accept the dingoes are starving. Its website says they have enough natural food sources, but are "naturally lean" and subject to seasonal and pack-status weight variations.
To support this, the site displays four photographs of what it says is the same female juvenile - identified by its ear tag as "purple/yellow/yellow"- observed over 11 months. In the first photo the dingo appears to be starving; the others show a dated progression as it "regained weight quickly".
But a Fraser Island resident, Judi Daniel, says the department item shows three different dingoes.
"It's a complete concoction," the retired journalist said at her home in the village of Eurong. "I took the first photo of the starving female, which died soon afterwards in a fight with other dingoes, and it ended up on various websites.
''Without my permission, DERM hooked it off the net and used it as part of its propaganda beat-up."
Daniel said the next two photos in the department series did show the "purple/yellow/yellow" dingo, but the last photo was another ring-in with a different-coloured ear tag.
Terry Harper, the general manager of the Queensland Parks and Wildlife Service, admitted the first photo in the series was taken by Daniel, but insisted only one dingo is shown: "Although it lost its ear tag [at some stage] … all the photos are of the same animal."
Daniel says rumours persist that rangers are under instruction to secretly feed dingoes to avoid bad publicity over them starving.
"The crazy thing about all this is that dingoes are very social animals,'' she said. ''They were camp dogs with the island's Aborigines for thousands of years, and they actually like people.
''Then, suddenly, they're tagged, demonised, brutalised and confronted daily by tourists who shriek and scream at the sight of them. And they just don't understand why." Sydney Morning Herald, Jan 8. 2011
Tuesday, December 14, 2010
SFID MEDIA RELEASE: DINGO DAY/ART FOR EARTH 15/12/10
SFID MEDIA RELEASE: DINGO DAY/ART FOR EARTH
Once again the community has come to support the outreach work of Save Fraser Island Dingoes (SFID), and this time for the second annual Dingo Day at Hervey Bay.
This year, it was not just SFID that wanted to give a voice to the voiceless, but also world-famous Art-For-Earth candle-artist, Jorje Pujol.
Despite the setback of a delay due to weather, the actual event coincided with an almost miraculously sunny day.
The generosity of the HB business community and of Jorje’s hard-working team allowed what would otherwise have cost approx $16,000, to go ahead at half that cost due to donations of time, money, and equipment.
Due to rescheduling, numbers were down on the thousand plus that attended last year’s Dingo Day, but SFID and Jorje were not deterred. 9 marquees donated by local businesses were set up at Dayman Park along with a semi-trailer which was used as a performance stage, and cherry picker was used as a viewing and photography platform for those who attended. This was operated all day by Ron Corfield. The view from up there was spectacular.
The cherry picker also provided an aerial platform for a spectacular, crowd-stopping rendition of didgeridoo playing by Hayden Richards and Travis Page.
Pulses quickened as we all tried to get paper-bags filled with sand in preparation for placement of the candles.
The day also saw the launch of the long-awaited dingo book: Vanishing Icon: The Fraser Island Dingo by Jennifer Parkhurst. Jen was kept busy all day signing personalized copies and most stock sold out.
Jorje also arranged for Jen and the crew from Aus Story to be taken into the air by Hervey Bay Skydivers to personally photograph the effigy of the dingo as it took shape.
The Butchulla people once again showed their support for the cause by presenting a ‘welcome to country’ followed by indigenous story-telling and dance. The crowd of onlookers was invited to get up and dance and eagerly did so.
Ray Revill from Tess wildlife sanctuary and a large group of volunteers held an informative and interesting stand which incorporated live snakes, recued birds and a joey which they are currently caring for. Ray also managed to rescue a panting xxx hawk that was stuck in the fronds of a palm tree in the heat of the day.
The Nefertiti Dancers and the Fraser Coast Tae kwon Do club gave interesting performances.
Ted Sorensen and his PA’s Paula and Michael and some of their friends made a huge effort to help fill the sand bags and place them on the outline. SFID would like to thank Ted and staff for always attending our functions and showing their support. We would also like to thank Glen Elmes for his support throughout the past year, and welcome Mr Jack Dempsey as the new Shadow Minister for Climate Change and Sustainability.
Malcolm Kilpatrick as Master of Ceremonies did an amazing job as usual.
The climax of the day began with a fire lighting ceremony during which the youngest member of the Butchulla representatives, 7 year old Dyneale, passed a flame to Jennifer Parkhurst as a living metaphor of the Butchulla people’s respect for Jen’s efforts to preserve and protect their native dog.
A helicopter hovered above to capture the moment as three sky divers were launched from a plane, and landed perfectly in the centre of the effigy. All eyes were fixed to the divers as they landed… and cheers, applause, and sighs of wonderment were heard all around.
The crowd was then invited to light their own candles from Jen’s flame, and thus the candles on the ground in the outline of the dingo were lit by the enthusiastic crowd.
Tears of pleasure and emotion fell with the setting sun as the dingo came to life.
Professional photographer Grant Conlon took beautiful still photos from the helicopter until the light was too dim to continue.
The cherry picker was operated by Ron non-stop as people from the crowd gathered to take their turn at viewing the image from the elevated vantage point. At that height, the dingoes seemed to come to light in flickering glory. The moon rose and a colony of bats flew overhead, creating the perfect backdrop to the haunting scene.
All in all it was an extremely successful event, and will be viewed by an expected audience of thousands world wide once Jorje adds it to his you-tube site (Art For Earth). We express our heartfelt thanks to Jorje Pujol for working so hard and tirelessly over the past three months to make this a reality.
SFID would like to thank all of our supporters and sponsors, some of whom are named below.
The planning, fund-raising, advertising and implementation of this event was once again accomplished by the hard work of the volunteers of SFID.
Thank you also to the media which has supported the event, including SOS news, Channel 7, Win TV, Australian Story, Fraser Coast Radio FM, Hervey Bay Independent, Gympie Times, Noosa Journal, Fraser Coast Chronicle, AAP.
Last but not least we are grateful for the support of Bob and Judy Irwin, and the late Malcolm Douglas whose last piece of footage, made for us, was an encouragement to keep up the fight
We would also like to extend our thanks to Inkworks, Turning Point Technologies, Hervey Bay Wholesalers, David’s Ultra Music, Express Bookkeeping, Bay Central IGA, Deb Wittman and the K’Gari Dancers, Peter Scopelitis, Nefertiti Dancers, Tae Kwon Do School & M&K Wide Bay Electronics.
semi-trailer donated by Richer’s Transport
cherry picker donated by Maryborough Crane Hire
Sand was donated by Byrne Brothers, and many people ‘sponsored’ paper bags and candles, including the Wildlife Warriors from Australia Zoo and Paulette Oldfield from Suncorp.
Sea Bird Aviation
Hervey Bay Skydivers
Fuel was donated by Ron Corfield
MI Helicopters
Marquees donated by channel 7, Wide Bay Water, Hervey Bay RSL
Cheryl McCullum from Bundy $500
SFID Committee and members who arrived on site at 6am, and stayed till well after 9.30 pm cleaning and packing up.
Once again the community has come to support the outreach work of Save Fraser Island Dingoes (SFID), and this time for the second annual Dingo Day at Hervey Bay.
This year, it was not just SFID that wanted to give a voice to the voiceless, but also world-famous Art-For-Earth candle-artist, Jorje Pujol.
Despite the setback of a delay due to weather, the actual event coincided with an almost miraculously sunny day.
The generosity of the HB business community and of Jorje’s hard-working team allowed what would otherwise have cost approx $16,000, to go ahead at half that cost due to donations of time, money, and equipment.
Due to rescheduling, numbers were down on the thousand plus that attended last year’s Dingo Day, but SFID and Jorje were not deterred. 9 marquees donated by local businesses were set up at Dayman Park along with a semi-trailer which was used as a performance stage, and cherry picker was used as a viewing and photography platform for those who attended. This was operated all day by Ron Corfield. The view from up there was spectacular.
The cherry picker also provided an aerial platform for a spectacular, crowd-stopping rendition of didgeridoo playing by Hayden Richards and Travis Page.
Pulses quickened as we all tried to get paper-bags filled with sand in preparation for placement of the candles.
The day also saw the launch of the long-awaited dingo book: Vanishing Icon: The Fraser Island Dingo by Jennifer Parkhurst. Jen was kept busy all day signing personalized copies and most stock sold out.
Jorje also arranged for Jen and the crew from Aus Story to be taken into the air by Hervey Bay Skydivers to personally photograph the effigy of the dingo as it took shape.
The Butchulla people once again showed their support for the cause by presenting a ‘welcome to country’ followed by indigenous story-telling and dance. The crowd of onlookers was invited to get up and dance and eagerly did so.
Ray Revill from Tess wildlife sanctuary and a large group of volunteers held an informative and interesting stand which incorporated live snakes, recued birds and a joey which they are currently caring for. Ray also managed to rescue a panting xxx hawk that was stuck in the fronds of a palm tree in the heat of the day.
The Nefertiti Dancers and the Fraser Coast Tae kwon Do club gave interesting performances.
Ted Sorensen and his PA’s Paula and Michael and some of their friends made a huge effort to help fill the sand bags and place them on the outline. SFID would like to thank Ted and staff for always attending our functions and showing their support. We would also like to thank Glen Elmes for his support throughout the past year, and welcome Mr Jack Dempsey as the new Shadow Minister for Climate Change and Sustainability.
Malcolm Kilpatrick as Master of Ceremonies did an amazing job as usual.
The climax of the day began with a fire lighting ceremony during which the youngest member of the Butchulla representatives, 7 year old Dyneale, passed a flame to Jennifer Parkhurst as a living metaphor of the Butchulla people’s respect for Jen’s efforts to preserve and protect their native dog.
A helicopter hovered above to capture the moment as three sky divers were launched from a plane, and landed perfectly in the centre of the effigy. All eyes were fixed to the divers as they landed… and cheers, applause, and sighs of wonderment were heard all around.
The crowd was then invited to light their own candles from Jen’s flame, and thus the candles on the ground in the outline of the dingo were lit by the enthusiastic crowd.
Tears of pleasure and emotion fell with the setting sun as the dingo came to life.
Professional photographer Grant Conlon took beautiful still photos from the helicopter until the light was too dim to continue.
The cherry picker was operated by Ron non-stop as people from the crowd gathered to take their turn at viewing the image from the elevated vantage point. At that height, the dingoes seemed to come to light in flickering glory. The moon rose and a colony of bats flew overhead, creating the perfect backdrop to the haunting scene.
All in all it was an extremely successful event, and will be viewed by an expected audience of thousands world wide once Jorje adds it to his you-tube site (Art For Earth). We express our heartfelt thanks to Jorje Pujol for working so hard and tirelessly over the past three months to make this a reality.
SFID would like to thank all of our supporters and sponsors, some of whom are named below.
The planning, fund-raising, advertising and implementation of this event was once again accomplished by the hard work of the volunteers of SFID.
Thank you also to the media which has supported the event, including SOS news, Channel 7, Win TV, Australian Story, Fraser Coast Radio FM, Hervey Bay Independent, Gympie Times, Noosa Journal, Fraser Coast Chronicle, AAP.
Last but not least we are grateful for the support of Bob and Judy Irwin, and the late Malcolm Douglas whose last piece of footage, made for us, was an encouragement to keep up the fight
We would also like to extend our thanks to Inkworks, Turning Point Technologies, Hervey Bay Wholesalers, David’s Ultra Music, Express Bookkeeping, Bay Central IGA, Deb Wittman and the K’Gari Dancers, Peter Scopelitis, Nefertiti Dancers, Tae Kwon Do School & M&K Wide Bay Electronics.
semi-trailer donated by Richer’s Transport
cherry picker donated by Maryborough Crane Hire
Sand was donated by Byrne Brothers, and many people ‘sponsored’ paper bags and candles, including the Wildlife Warriors from Australia Zoo and Paulette Oldfield from Suncorp.
Sea Bird Aviation
Hervey Bay Skydivers
Fuel was donated by Ron Corfield
MI Helicopters
Marquees donated by channel 7, Wide Bay Water, Hervey Bay RSL
Cheryl McCullum from Bundy $500
SFID Committee and members who arrived on site at 6am, and stayed till well after 9.30 pm cleaning and packing up.
Monday, December 6, 2010
Fraser Island Dingoes 7/12/10
Fraser Dingoes
The Hervey Bay Dingo Day planned for last Sunday had to be postponed until this Saturday the 11th of December because of the weather. The Dingo Day will at Dayman Park, Hervey Bay, and features the World famous candle art, entertainment, sausage sizzle, skydivers, indigenous dancers and singers, raffles, alltogether a really spectacular day to help the Fraser Island dingoes. *
The Hervey Bay Dingo Day planned for last Sunday had to be postponed until this Saturday the 11th of December because of the weather. The Dingo Day will at Dayman Park, Hervey Bay, and features the World famous candle art, entertainment, sausage sizzle, skydivers, indigenous dancers and singers, raffles, alltogether a really spectacular day to help the Fraser Island dingoes. *
Monday, November 22, 2010
Dingoes 23/11/10
Dingo Media Release
Dingo CARE Network Inc urges both parties to stop playing political football with the environment Date 19 November 2010 Dingo CARE Network Inc (Incorporated under the Associations Incorporation Act 1981 on 21 June 2004 No A0045881H) Dingo CARE Network Inc. today expressed disappointment that both the Labour Party and the Coalition have promised a resumption of aerial wild dog/dingo baiting in the run up to the Victorian State Election. Julie Fechner, President of Dingo CARE Network Inc, today said: “It seems that both parties are ignoring the science in an attempt to increase their rural vote. Research has shown that aerial baiting has not been effective in the past so why do politicians continue with the same old practices, and why would farmers want scarce resources wasted on management practices that have been shown to be ineffective? Not only is it unscientific, but may be damaging to the natural environment.”
“Research is has shown that baiting weakens dingo pack structure, which exacerbates the problem of roaming dingoes and wild dogs. When the dominant or alpha pair is killed, remaining pack members often become poor hunters and breed at a higher rate. This is similar to removing the parents from the family farm and leaving young teenagers in charge to behave irresponsibly.” “When dingo packs are left intact, the overall dingo population is self-regulating at a relatively low level and they tend to stay within their home territory. They also play an important role as the top order predator maintaining environmental balance, protecting many of our small endangered species, and keeping kangaroo numbers in check.”
“If the Victorian government is serious about developing a sustainable solution for wild-dog predation on farm stock, it should promote and finance non-lethal control methods, including the use of lamas and maremma dogs. Such alternatives are now being used successfully in Queensland to protect stock.” “The dingo is now protected wildlife under the Victorian Wildlife Act. We trust that these announcements by the major political parties have been made in full consideration of the new laws protecting the dingo, and there are no plans to bait outside the agreed 3 kilometre buffer zone between public and private land.” Further information: Julie Fechner: 0419 55 2226 julie@dingo.id.au Ernest Healy 03 99020752 ernest.healy@arts.monash.edu.au
Another Dingo Media Release
The National Dingo Preservation and Recovery Program today expressed disappointment at the Victorian Labor government’s decision to resume aerial baiting for wild dogs in north-east Victoria and Gippsland. Yesterday, The Victorian Minister for Agriculture, Joe Helper, announced a budget of $1.2 million for the resumption of aerial baiting of wild dogs. NDPRP President, Dr Ian Gunn, today stated that the resumption of aerial baiting would likely prove counter productive in controlling wild-dog numbers and be a significant waste of public finances. ‘Aerial baiting trials have been conducted before in Victoria and found to be largely ineffective. It is concerning that it has been resurrected as part of an election campaign.’ Dr Gunn encouraged the Victorian government to take seriously the body of expert opinion that suggests that indiscriminant baiting and trapping of wild dogs and dingoes may be in fact exacerbating the very problem that farmers wish to overcome.
‘Recent research has concluded that the lethal control of dingo populations destabilizes pack structures, which can lead to increased breeding rates. In a stable pack, or family unit, only the dominant female usually breeds, limiting the wild-dog or dingo population. If a dominant female or male is killed through baiting or trapping, then subordinate females are free to breed, producing more pups than usual. Pups which result from fractured packs are less likely to be territorially constrained and may not be taught to hunt properly. Such ‘poorly-educated’ juvenile dingoes are more likely to resort to easy prey, such as sheep on farmland. Many farmers have been mystified as to why wild-dog numbers have been increasing despite increased levels of poisoning and trapping. This is why.’
While Dr Gunn applauded the Victorian government’s recent listing the dingo as threatened wildlife, he called upon the Minister for Agriculture to encourage farmers to adopt non-lethal methods of wild dog control, rather than an escalation of poisoning. ‘In the past, the breaking up of pack structures has also facilitated the hybridisation of dingoes with domestic dogs. New approaches to farm stock protection need to be adopted, rather than simply persisting with very expensive control methods that simply don’t work in the longer term.’Dr Gunn called upon the Victorian government to allocate a budget equivalent to that announced for aerial baiting to dingo conservation for the coming three year period. Contacts: Dr Ian Gunn BVSc. FACVSc. 0427 387778 (mob.) Dr Ernest Healy 03 9902 0752(w) 03 9 3065037 (h)
Dingo CARE Network Inc urges both parties to stop playing political football with the environment Date 19 November 2010 Dingo CARE Network Inc (Incorporated under the Associations Incorporation Act 1981 on 21 June 2004 No A0045881H) Dingo CARE Network Inc. today expressed disappointment that both the Labour Party and the Coalition have promised a resumption of aerial wild dog/dingo baiting in the run up to the Victorian State Election. Julie Fechner, President of Dingo CARE Network Inc, today said: “It seems that both parties are ignoring the science in an attempt to increase their rural vote. Research has shown that aerial baiting has not been effective in the past so why do politicians continue with the same old practices, and why would farmers want scarce resources wasted on management practices that have been shown to be ineffective? Not only is it unscientific, but may be damaging to the natural environment.”
“Research is has shown that baiting weakens dingo pack structure, which exacerbates the problem of roaming dingoes and wild dogs. When the dominant or alpha pair is killed, remaining pack members often become poor hunters and breed at a higher rate. This is similar to removing the parents from the family farm and leaving young teenagers in charge to behave irresponsibly.” “When dingo packs are left intact, the overall dingo population is self-regulating at a relatively low level and they tend to stay within their home territory. They also play an important role as the top order predator maintaining environmental balance, protecting many of our small endangered species, and keeping kangaroo numbers in check.”
“If the Victorian government is serious about developing a sustainable solution for wild-dog predation on farm stock, it should promote and finance non-lethal control methods, including the use of lamas and maremma dogs. Such alternatives are now being used successfully in Queensland to protect stock.” “The dingo is now protected wildlife under the Victorian Wildlife Act. We trust that these announcements by the major political parties have been made in full consideration of the new laws protecting the dingo, and there are no plans to bait outside the agreed 3 kilometre buffer zone between public and private land.” Further information: Julie Fechner: 0419 55 2226 julie@dingo.id.au Ernest Healy 03 99020752 ernest.healy@arts.monash.edu.au
Another Dingo Media Release
The National Dingo Preservation and Recovery Program today expressed disappointment at the Victorian Labor government’s decision to resume aerial baiting for wild dogs in north-east Victoria and Gippsland. Yesterday, The Victorian Minister for Agriculture, Joe Helper, announced a budget of $1.2 million for the resumption of aerial baiting of wild dogs. NDPRP President, Dr Ian Gunn, today stated that the resumption of aerial baiting would likely prove counter productive in controlling wild-dog numbers and be a significant waste of public finances. ‘Aerial baiting trials have been conducted before in Victoria and found to be largely ineffective. It is concerning that it has been resurrected as part of an election campaign.’ Dr Gunn encouraged the Victorian government to take seriously the body of expert opinion that suggests that indiscriminant baiting and trapping of wild dogs and dingoes may be in fact exacerbating the very problem that farmers wish to overcome.
‘Recent research has concluded that the lethal control of dingo populations destabilizes pack structures, which can lead to increased breeding rates. In a stable pack, or family unit, only the dominant female usually breeds, limiting the wild-dog or dingo population. If a dominant female or male is killed through baiting or trapping, then subordinate females are free to breed, producing more pups than usual. Pups which result from fractured packs are less likely to be territorially constrained and may not be taught to hunt properly. Such ‘poorly-educated’ juvenile dingoes are more likely to resort to easy prey, such as sheep on farmland. Many farmers have been mystified as to why wild-dog numbers have been increasing despite increased levels of poisoning and trapping. This is why.’
While Dr Gunn applauded the Victorian government’s recent listing the dingo as threatened wildlife, he called upon the Minister for Agriculture to encourage farmers to adopt non-lethal methods of wild dog control, rather than an escalation of poisoning. ‘In the past, the breaking up of pack structures has also facilitated the hybridisation of dingoes with domestic dogs. New approaches to farm stock protection need to be adopted, rather than simply persisting with very expensive control methods that simply don’t work in the longer term.’Dr Gunn called upon the Victorian government to allocate a budget equivalent to that announced for aerial baiting to dingo conservation for the coming three year period. Contacts: Dr Ian Gunn BVSc. FACVSc. 0427 387778 (mob.) Dr Ernest Healy 03 9902 0752(w) 03 9 3065037 (h)
Tuesday, November 9, 2010
Fraer Dingoes 10/11/10
DINGO DAY and CANDLE NIGHT..
A day of celebration, education and exciting entertainment will be held in support of the Fraser Island Dingo.. SAUSAGE SIZZLE, RAFFLES/EDUCATIONAL MATERIAL, MUSIC, SKYDIVING DISPLAY
HELICOPTER FLYOVER, WILDIFE PRESENTATION by Tess Wildlife Sanctuary. Culminating at sunset with the lighting of 3000 CANDLES creating a giant 60 metre effigy of a Dingo. This amazing display will be designed by JORGE PUJOL, foremost expert in candle-lit public art statements who has promoted humanitarian and environmental causes around the world.. Community involvement is essential to make this momentous day a success, candles/bags will be available from 10AM ..$2 per bag. VENUE: DAYMAN PARK..HERVEY BAY DATE: SUNDAY 5th. DECEMBER. COMMENCING: 10AM till SUNSET. All are invited to participate in this spectacular event.. For any enquiries please contact: Karin...(Save Fraser Island Dingoes) Ph: 07 4124 1979
Fraser Island Dingoes Media release
National Dingo Preservation and Recovery Program (Inc. A0051763G ) says the Queensland Government’s prosecution of Wildlife Photographer is Disappointing
The National Dingo Preservation and Recovery Program (NDPRP) today expressed its disappointment at the Queensland Government’s prosecution of wildlife photographer, Jennifer Parkhurst, for her study of the dingoes on Fraser Island. Yesterday, Ms Parkhurst received a nine month suspended jail sentence and a fine of $40,000 in the Maryborough Magistrates Court in Queensland. NDPRP President, Dr Ian Gunn, today stated that: ‘It is extremely disappointing that the Queensland Department of Environment and Resource Management and the Queensland Minister for the Environment, Kate Jones, have adopted such a punitive approach to this matter. It could have been resolved in a more conciliatory manner.’ Dr Gunn reaffirmed the NDPRP’s support for the role Ms Parkhurst has played in exposing the Queensland Government’s mismanagement of the high-conservation-value dingo population of Fraser Island and for the government’s lack of transparency concerning dingo management on the Island. He stated that:
‘The NDPRP certainly hopes that the prosecution of Ms Parkhurst has not been in retaliation for her public criticism of the Queensland government’s mismanagement of the dingo population on Fraser Island.’ Dr Gunn contrasted the punitive approach of the Queensland Government with that of the Victorian Government: ‘The approaches of the Victorian and Queensland governments to the management of dingo conservation issues could not be more different. We have just been through an exhaustive, transparent and inclusive consultation process on dingo conservation in Victoria, involving all stakeholders, including farming interests. As a result, Victoria now has the most progressive policy on dingo conservation in Australia. Unfortunately, this approach stands in stark contrast to the defensive and repressive approach taken by the Queensland authorities.’ Commenting on the high quality of Ms Parkhurst’s documentary material on the Fraser Island dingoes, some of which was used as evidence against her, Dr Gunn stated that: I have no doubt that, if not for these legal proceedings intervening with Ms Parkhurst’s documentary work on Fraser Island, it would have resulted in the best documentary material on Australian dingoes yet produced. It is a great loss to all Australians that this will now likely not eventuate.’ *Media release from NDPRP
A day of celebration, education and exciting entertainment will be held in support of the Fraser Island Dingo.. SAUSAGE SIZZLE, RAFFLES/EDUCATIONAL MATERIAL, MUSIC, SKYDIVING DISPLAY
HELICOPTER FLYOVER, WILDIFE PRESENTATION by Tess Wildlife Sanctuary. Culminating at sunset with the lighting of 3000 CANDLES creating a giant 60 metre effigy of a Dingo. This amazing display will be designed by JORGE PUJOL, foremost expert in candle-lit public art statements who has promoted humanitarian and environmental causes around the world.. Community involvement is essential to make this momentous day a success, candles/bags will be available from 10AM ..$2 per bag. VENUE: DAYMAN PARK..HERVEY BAY DATE: SUNDAY 5th. DECEMBER. COMMENCING: 10AM till SUNSET. All are invited to participate in this spectacular event.. For any enquiries please contact: Karin...(Save Fraser Island Dingoes) Ph: 07 4124 1979
Fraser Island Dingoes Media release
National Dingo Preservation and Recovery Program (Inc. A0051763G ) says the Queensland Government’s prosecution of Wildlife Photographer is Disappointing
The National Dingo Preservation and Recovery Program (NDPRP) today expressed its disappointment at the Queensland Government’s prosecution of wildlife photographer, Jennifer Parkhurst, for her study of the dingoes on Fraser Island. Yesterday, Ms Parkhurst received a nine month suspended jail sentence and a fine of $40,000 in the Maryborough Magistrates Court in Queensland. NDPRP President, Dr Ian Gunn, today stated that: ‘It is extremely disappointing that the Queensland Department of Environment and Resource Management and the Queensland Minister for the Environment, Kate Jones, have adopted such a punitive approach to this matter. It could have been resolved in a more conciliatory manner.’ Dr Gunn reaffirmed the NDPRP’s support for the role Ms Parkhurst has played in exposing the Queensland Government’s mismanagement of the high-conservation-value dingo population of Fraser Island and for the government’s lack of transparency concerning dingo management on the Island. He stated that:
‘The NDPRP certainly hopes that the prosecution of Ms Parkhurst has not been in retaliation for her public criticism of the Queensland government’s mismanagement of the dingo population on Fraser Island.’ Dr Gunn contrasted the punitive approach of the Queensland Government with that of the Victorian Government: ‘The approaches of the Victorian and Queensland governments to the management of dingo conservation issues could not be more different. We have just been through an exhaustive, transparent and inclusive consultation process on dingo conservation in Victoria, involving all stakeholders, including farming interests. As a result, Victoria now has the most progressive policy on dingo conservation in Australia. Unfortunately, this approach stands in stark contrast to the defensive and repressive approach taken by the Queensland authorities.’ Commenting on the high quality of Ms Parkhurst’s documentary material on the Fraser Island dingoes, some of which was used as evidence against her, Dr Gunn stated that: I have no doubt that, if not for these legal proceedings intervening with Ms Parkhurst’s documentary work on Fraser Island, it would have resulted in the best documentary material on Australian dingoes yet produced. It is a great loss to all Australians that this will now likely not eventuate.’ *Media release from NDPRP
Fraser Dingoes....Government Disgrace
Fraser Island Dingoes
A wildlife photographer who became emotionally attached to a pack of dingoes on Fraser Island and filmed herself feeding them has been fined $40,000 and sentenced to a suspended jail term. Jennifer Louise Parkhurst faced 46 charges under the Nature Conservation Act and Recreation Areas Management Act. The 43-year-old Rainbow Beach woman yesterday pleaded guilty in Maryborough Magistrates Court to all charges, despite previously indicating she would contest the allegations. Defence lawyer Kristy Crabb said Parkhurst became “emotionally invested” in the dingoes known as the Hook Point Pack after seeing three pups die of what Parkhurst believed to be starvation in 2008. Ms Crabb said Parkhurst only fed the dingoes at the insistence of her former boyfriend Adam Randall. Footage that Parkhurst had filmed was played in the court as part of the prosecution's case.
The films showed Parkhurst feeding the dingoes on several occasions, including a scene from Christmas Day 2008, in which Parkhurst's voice can be heard narrating. “It's Christmas Day and the pups are getting a beautiful, beautiful present, something they've never had before. “This is a jailable offence, hopefully it's not the wrong thing to do, but ... they've never had roast chicken before.” Parkhurst narrated another film sequence after the dingoes had finished their Christmas dinner. “Well they loved that,” she said. “Three roast chickens, one of them free-range, which cost a fortune.” The next segment of film showed Parkhurst hand-feeding the dingoes some gift-wrapped dog treats. On other occasions the dingoes were fed bread, raw meat, dog biscuits, cheese and fruit – mostly coconuts that Parkhurst and her friends had collected from the beach and cracked open for the animals.
The dingoes' taste for fruit was mentioned by Parkhurst in several of the film sequences, in which she commented “fruit is their favourite food – they love it so much ... they didn't like the apple all that much, but didn't they love the mango ... they love coconut more than anything else...” On one occasion Parkhurst's 12-year-old god-daughter accompanied her to the island. The film shows the girl eating a packet of chips and a dingo pup trying to get the food. The animal then becomes bolder and nips at the girl's ponytail before grabbing her singlet and biting the child on her hip area. As the girl starts to cry, Parkhurst is seen growling at the dingo and telling the animal it had been naughty.
DERM prosecutor Ralph Devlin said Parkhurst's actions undermined the State Government's Dingo Management Strategy and increased the risk of dingoes becoming aggressive towards humans. “It was a deliberate and covert campaign in which she portrays herself as the saviour of the dingoes and the rangers as the oppressors,” Mr Devlin said. “She has, in many respects, a commendable view about the conservation of the environment. “There's a range of opinions on the effectiveness of the department's dingo management strategy. Whether the current dingo management strategy is successful or not is irrelevant to her offending.” Mr Devlin referred to a statement by a zoologist who said it was normal for predators generally and dingoes especially to be “lean and wiry”. Five of the six pups Parkhurst interacted with were destroyed by rangers after exhibiting increasingly aggressive behaviour toward island visitors, Mr Devlin told the court.
Magistrate John Smith said it was clear from the recordings that Parkhurst knew she was breaking the law. He said her actions in taking a child within such close proximity to the dingoes should be condemned. Mr Smith imposed $40,000 in fines and sentenced Parkhurst to four concurrent nine-month jail terms, wholly suspended for three years. Parkhurst walked out of the courtroom smiling yesterday afternoon and told waiting reporters that she was “very shaken”. “It's been a long, difficult journey. None of it has been pleasant.” Ms Parkhurst said her next plan was to have a holiday. “Not on Fraser Island.” * Fraser Coast Chronicle.... WPAA Editorial Below.
Editorial
The Fraser Island dingoes......What can we say? Jennifer Parkhurst, a widely-respected woman, and an insulin-dependent diabetic, was rudely awakened 15 months ago at 7am by the DERM squad pounding on her door. She then spent the next six hours in a horrified state of shock, watching her personal possessions and professional equipment being pulled apart, then carried off by the DERM goons. We don't think Jennifer Parkhurst realised the vindictiveness and persistence of the louts that are employed by the Queensland Government to manage Fraser Island and the unfortunate dingoes. Some statements made by the prosecutor in the Fraser Coast Chronicle story above were quite wrong. A claim that "the dingo family were destroyed by rangers after exhibiting increasingly aggressive behaviour toward island visitors" are false, the dingo family were killed out of sheer bloodymindedness. You can watch these beautiful animals at the link here
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ehX8LwCrWqE which shows the group of dingoes playing. All these dingoes in this footage have since been killed by the Queensland Government. We've said it before, many times, and we say it again, the Fraser Island Dingo Management Plan is the greatest wildlife management blunder ever committed in Queensland, and it's obvious that the Queensland Government will persist with this terrible strategy until there are no Fraser Island dingoes left. There are times like this when I am so ashamed to be a Queenslander. More about the FI dingoes below. *WPAA Ed.
Fraser Island Dingoes
The Save the Fraser Island Dingoes group has engaged a legal team to try to change dingo management laws on the island off south-east Queensland. The group is a major supporter of wildlife photographer Jennifer Parkhurst, who was last week fined $40,000 for feeding dingoes on Fraser. Secretary Karin Kilpatrick says many of the island's dingoes are starving and she wants the State Government to conduct an urgent wildlife study to find out if the dingoes have enough natural food sources. She says the Government's dingo management strategy is not working and the dingo feeding law needs to be changed. "At the moment, it's a stalemate," she said. "We just can't seem to agree that there is a problem and that's what has to be acknowledged first of all. "Solicitors have come on board so that we are doing everything by the law. "As I said, time will tell just how far we progress with this. "We have received advice from the legal people and political advice as well as scientific advice and we'll keep working with these people to change the strategy and hopefully also legislation." *ABC
A wildlife photographer who became emotionally attached to a pack of dingoes on Fraser Island and filmed herself feeding them has been fined $40,000 and sentenced to a suspended jail term. Jennifer Louise Parkhurst faced 46 charges under the Nature Conservation Act and Recreation Areas Management Act. The 43-year-old Rainbow Beach woman yesterday pleaded guilty in Maryborough Magistrates Court to all charges, despite previously indicating she would contest the allegations. Defence lawyer Kristy Crabb said Parkhurst became “emotionally invested” in the dingoes known as the Hook Point Pack after seeing three pups die of what Parkhurst believed to be starvation in 2008. Ms Crabb said Parkhurst only fed the dingoes at the insistence of her former boyfriend Adam Randall. Footage that Parkhurst had filmed was played in the court as part of the prosecution's case.
The films showed Parkhurst feeding the dingoes on several occasions, including a scene from Christmas Day 2008, in which Parkhurst's voice can be heard narrating. “It's Christmas Day and the pups are getting a beautiful, beautiful present, something they've never had before. “This is a jailable offence, hopefully it's not the wrong thing to do, but ... they've never had roast chicken before.” Parkhurst narrated another film sequence after the dingoes had finished their Christmas dinner. “Well they loved that,” she said. “Three roast chickens, one of them free-range, which cost a fortune.” The next segment of film showed Parkhurst hand-feeding the dingoes some gift-wrapped dog treats. On other occasions the dingoes were fed bread, raw meat, dog biscuits, cheese and fruit – mostly coconuts that Parkhurst and her friends had collected from the beach and cracked open for the animals.
The dingoes' taste for fruit was mentioned by Parkhurst in several of the film sequences, in which she commented “fruit is their favourite food – they love it so much ... they didn't like the apple all that much, but didn't they love the mango ... they love coconut more than anything else...” On one occasion Parkhurst's 12-year-old god-daughter accompanied her to the island. The film shows the girl eating a packet of chips and a dingo pup trying to get the food. The animal then becomes bolder and nips at the girl's ponytail before grabbing her singlet and biting the child on her hip area. As the girl starts to cry, Parkhurst is seen growling at the dingo and telling the animal it had been naughty.
DERM prosecutor Ralph Devlin said Parkhurst's actions undermined the State Government's Dingo Management Strategy and increased the risk of dingoes becoming aggressive towards humans. “It was a deliberate and covert campaign in which she portrays herself as the saviour of the dingoes and the rangers as the oppressors,” Mr Devlin said. “She has, in many respects, a commendable view about the conservation of the environment. “There's a range of opinions on the effectiveness of the department's dingo management strategy. Whether the current dingo management strategy is successful or not is irrelevant to her offending.” Mr Devlin referred to a statement by a zoologist who said it was normal for predators generally and dingoes especially to be “lean and wiry”. Five of the six pups Parkhurst interacted with were destroyed by rangers after exhibiting increasingly aggressive behaviour toward island visitors, Mr Devlin told the court.
Magistrate John Smith said it was clear from the recordings that Parkhurst knew she was breaking the law. He said her actions in taking a child within such close proximity to the dingoes should be condemned. Mr Smith imposed $40,000 in fines and sentenced Parkhurst to four concurrent nine-month jail terms, wholly suspended for three years. Parkhurst walked out of the courtroom smiling yesterday afternoon and told waiting reporters that she was “very shaken”. “It's been a long, difficult journey. None of it has been pleasant.” Ms Parkhurst said her next plan was to have a holiday. “Not on Fraser Island.” * Fraser Coast Chronicle.... WPAA Editorial Below.
Editorial
The Fraser Island dingoes......What can we say? Jennifer Parkhurst, a widely-respected woman, and an insulin-dependent diabetic, was rudely awakened 15 months ago at 7am by the DERM squad pounding on her door. She then spent the next six hours in a horrified state of shock, watching her personal possessions and professional equipment being pulled apart, then carried off by the DERM goons. We don't think Jennifer Parkhurst realised the vindictiveness and persistence of the louts that are employed by the Queensland Government to manage Fraser Island and the unfortunate dingoes. Some statements made by the prosecutor in the Fraser Coast Chronicle story above were quite wrong. A claim that "the dingo family were destroyed by rangers after exhibiting increasingly aggressive behaviour toward island visitors" are false, the dingo family were killed out of sheer bloodymindedness. You can watch these beautiful animals at the link here
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ehX8LwCrWqE which shows the group of dingoes playing. All these dingoes in this footage have since been killed by the Queensland Government. We've said it before, many times, and we say it again, the Fraser Island Dingo Management Plan is the greatest wildlife management blunder ever committed in Queensland, and it's obvious that the Queensland Government will persist with this terrible strategy until there are no Fraser Island dingoes left. There are times like this when I am so ashamed to be a Queenslander. More about the FI dingoes below. *WPAA Ed.
Fraser Island Dingoes
The Save the Fraser Island Dingoes group has engaged a legal team to try to change dingo management laws on the island off south-east Queensland. The group is a major supporter of wildlife photographer Jennifer Parkhurst, who was last week fined $40,000 for feeding dingoes on Fraser. Secretary Karin Kilpatrick says many of the island's dingoes are starving and she wants the State Government to conduct an urgent wildlife study to find out if the dingoes have enough natural food sources. She says the Government's dingo management strategy is not working and the dingo feeding law needs to be changed. "At the moment, it's a stalemate," she said. "We just can't seem to agree that there is a problem and that's what has to be acknowledged first of all. "Solicitors have come on board so that we are doing everything by the law. "As I said, time will tell just how far we progress with this. "We have received advice from the legal people and political advice as well as scientific advice and we'll keep working with these people to change the strategy and hopefully also legislation." *ABC
Tuesday, August 31, 2010
Dingoes 1/9/10
Dingoes
Here is a WIN News clip showing a starving Fraser Island dingo.....but according to the Queensland government, such dingoes dont exist! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MH-j7HMGiTQ (Copy and Paste)
Meanwhile, the group representing residents on Fraser Island off south-east Queensland says the fines for bringing domestic dogs to the island are not a strong enough deterrent and pose a risk to the local dingo population. Two dogs were allegedly brought to the island earlier this year. There is a $100 fine for bringing a domestic dog onto the island, with an extra $200 penalty if the dog is not removed within 24-hours. Fraser Island Association president David Anderson says some people are not worried about being fined.
"We'd like to see it publicised that people can't bring dogs onto the island," he said. "We don't want it to be the situation where people see it as a cheap alternative to kennel fees because a $100 fine, if you can afford that, it's probably cheaper than putting a dog into a kennel for a week or a fortnight." Mr Anderson says dogs have the potential to bring diseases to the island, which could devastate the dingo population. "The fine that was publicised in relation to the first incident - and that was a $100 fine - which is a pretty paltry amount of money when you think about the danger of bringing dogs onto Fraser Island have," he said. "[In particular] in relation to the dingo population ... you've perhaps got dogs that aren't neutered and dogs that aren't immunised." *ABC
Here is a WIN News clip showing a starving Fraser Island dingo.....but according to the Queensland government, such dingoes dont exist! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MH-j7HMGiTQ (Copy and Paste)
Meanwhile, the group representing residents on Fraser Island off south-east Queensland says the fines for bringing domestic dogs to the island are not a strong enough deterrent and pose a risk to the local dingo population. Two dogs were allegedly brought to the island earlier this year. There is a $100 fine for bringing a domestic dog onto the island, with an extra $200 penalty if the dog is not removed within 24-hours. Fraser Island Association president David Anderson says some people are not worried about being fined.
"We'd like to see it publicised that people can't bring dogs onto the island," he said. "We don't want it to be the situation where people see it as a cheap alternative to kennel fees because a $100 fine, if you can afford that, it's probably cheaper than putting a dog into a kennel for a week or a fortnight." Mr Anderson says dogs have the potential to bring diseases to the island, which could devastate the dingo population. "The fine that was publicised in relation to the first incident - and that was a $100 fine - which is a pretty paltry amount of money when you think about the danger of bringing dogs onto Fraser Island have," he said. "[In particular] in relation to the dingo population ... you've perhaps got dogs that aren't neutered and dogs that aren't immunised." *ABC
Wednesday, August 18, 2010
This starving Fraser Island dingo has around 4 pups, and also has diarrhoea. The photo was taken during the week of 12/8/10. The Queensland government says there are no starving dingoes on Fraser Island, but if there were......"its entirely natural!" What a disgraceful way to treat an animal. What sort of State are we living in when such blatant cruelty is supported by the Labor Government and the Queensland RSPCA.
Monday, August 9, 2010
Fraser Island Dingoes 10/8/10
The Queensland Sunday Mail has driven another nail into the coffin of the Fraser Island dingoes. In an poorly written and researched article in the Mail last Sunday, John Sinclair was quoted as saying that the people wanting protection for the Fraser Island dingoes, were peddling a campaign of misinformation by showing pictures of starving dingoes. He claimed in the article that starving dingoes are a "natural" occurance, and they die off so other dingoes can be well fed! It's not the first time Sinclair has attacked efforts by others to protect the remaining dingoes from the Queensland State Government.
John Sinclair fought really hard with his own money and time against the Jo Bielke Peterson government to protect Fraser Island, as many others have done on other issues around Australia. Now the dingoes and other wildlife habituated on the Island appear to be sacrificed to the great God of Tourism. The recent Queensland government "independant" review into the Fraser Island Dingo Management Plan found the Plan was working fine...of course the Review would say that, the Review was wholly run by the State government consultants and bureaucrats who designed and administer the current Dingo Plan.
We've said it before and we say it again, the Fraser Island Dingo Managment Plan is the greatest wildlife management blunder ever committed in Queensland. Its difficult to understand why Sinclair would support this cruelty.* WPAA
John Sinclair fought really hard with his own money and time against the Jo Bielke Peterson government to protect Fraser Island, as many others have done on other issues around Australia. Now the dingoes and other wildlife habituated on the Island appear to be sacrificed to the great God of Tourism. The recent Queensland government "independant" review into the Fraser Island Dingo Management Plan found the Plan was working fine...of course the Review would say that, the Review was wholly run by the State government consultants and bureaucrats who designed and administer the current Dingo Plan.
We've said it before and we say it again, the Fraser Island Dingo Managment Plan is the greatest wildlife management blunder ever committed in Queensland. Its difficult to understand why Sinclair would support this cruelty.* WPAA
Monday, July 26, 2010
Fraser Island Dingo Dinner 27/7/10
Save the Fraser Island Dingoes organisation is having a Dingo Charity dinner at Hervey Bay on the 4th September, at the Hervey Bay RSL Function room. For Reservations phone 41241979, great guest artists, including Keri McInerney, Stevie T, Riverhead with special guest Mark Nuske, k'gari performers and more! Tickets are $50 each or $90 for a couple.
Fraser Dingoes 27/7.10
The fate of Australia's ancient dingo was sealed almost 30 years ago after five simple words - "a dingo took my baby" - forged an image of fierce, wild killers. The raging war by farmers and pastoralists to protect their livestock against wild dogs and generations of crossbreeding with domestic dogs has decreased the dingo gene pool by as much as 30 per cent, now classifying them as vulnerable on the threatened species list. The death of baby Azaria Chamberlain in 1980 was the most publicised dingo attack. Now, a group of passionate dog lovers are working to dispel the common misconceptions surrounding dingoes. "Many myths and fallacies surround the dingo, diminutive and naturally timid creatures that will favour 'flight' over 'fight' any day," WA Dingo Association president Darren Griffiths said. "They are gentle, loving and affectionate. Dingoes are not the 'baby-eating monsters' as they are often wrongly portrayed."
Labelling themselves as dingo conservationists, Mr Griffiths and group vice-president Leigh Mullan own two pure-bred dingoes - Loxie and 12-month-old Wylie which was rescued at just four weeks old after its parents were shot. Stepping up their fight to save dingoes, the pair recently bred their first litter in captivity. Mr Griffiths and Mr Mullan say the use of steel-jawed traps - which cause prolonged pain to dingoes until they died - was cruel and inhumane and should be banned and replaced with rubber padded soft-hold traps. "We understand the issues of stock predation but there are issues of needing to protect dingoes as well," Mr Mullan said. *WA News
The Opposition says a survey of dingoes on Fraser Island off Queensland's south-east coast does not indicate the dogs are healthy. It was thought there were between 100 and 200 dingoes on the island. The Government last week tabled the interim report for stage one of a study during a budget estimates hearing at Parliament House. It shows the dingo population on the island is larger than thought, with rangers tagging 231 dingoes and about a third of the population yet to be caught and tracked. Opposition sustainability spokesman Glen Elmes says there needs to be greater public involvement in the Government's Fraser Island dingo population study. Mr Elmes says it is a flimsy document that raises more questions than it answers. "A healthy population would be far more than 200," he said. "What you need to be able to do is have a gene pool that's deep enough that will stop a situation where you've got siblings mating with each other and a real risk of breaking down the genetics within the breed on Fraser Island." Mr Elmes says he doubts the interim report provides an accurate picture. "Until you start to include locals who live on Fraser Island, the people who represent the various groups on Fraser Island, as well as Indigenous people, you're not going to get a true and accurate look at the way in which the populations of dingoes on Fraser Island are split up," he said. *ABC
Ed Comment; Glen's quite right of course, and the so-called study the Government is doing is being done by the same people who are responsible for the Fraser Island dingo "management plan". Of course they would claim the dingoes are okay!
Labelling themselves as dingo conservationists, Mr Griffiths and group vice-president Leigh Mullan own two pure-bred dingoes - Loxie and 12-month-old Wylie which was rescued at just four weeks old after its parents were shot. Stepping up their fight to save dingoes, the pair recently bred their first litter in captivity. Mr Griffiths and Mr Mullan say the use of steel-jawed traps - which cause prolonged pain to dingoes until they died - was cruel and inhumane and should be banned and replaced with rubber padded soft-hold traps. "We understand the issues of stock predation but there are issues of needing to protect dingoes as well," Mr Mullan said. *WA News
The Opposition says a survey of dingoes on Fraser Island off Queensland's south-east coast does not indicate the dogs are healthy. It was thought there were between 100 and 200 dingoes on the island. The Government last week tabled the interim report for stage one of a study during a budget estimates hearing at Parliament House. It shows the dingo population on the island is larger than thought, with rangers tagging 231 dingoes and about a third of the population yet to be caught and tracked. Opposition sustainability spokesman Glen Elmes says there needs to be greater public involvement in the Government's Fraser Island dingo population study. Mr Elmes says it is a flimsy document that raises more questions than it answers. "A healthy population would be far more than 200," he said. "What you need to be able to do is have a gene pool that's deep enough that will stop a situation where you've got siblings mating with each other and a real risk of breaking down the genetics within the breed on Fraser Island." Mr Elmes says he doubts the interim report provides an accurate picture. "Until you start to include locals who live on Fraser Island, the people who represent the various groups on Fraser Island, as well as Indigenous people, you're not going to get a true and accurate look at the way in which the populations of dingoes on Fraser Island are split up," he said. *ABC
Ed Comment; Glen's quite right of course, and the so-called study the Government is doing is being done by the same people who are responsible for the Fraser Island dingo "management plan". Of course they would claim the dingoes are okay!
Tuesday, May 18, 2010
Fraser Island Dingo Rally 18/5/10
The Rally was awesome, 100 people marching through the streets of Brisbane escorted by two police cars, two on motorbikes and two on push bikes were so helpful, placards waving and voices chanting had quite an effect and people came out of the buildings, some even joined in, others waved and smiled. As we rounded the last corner before entering the grounds of Parliament House the powerful and haunting sounds of the didgeridoo could be heard, it hailed the start of a very successful day. Guest Speakers came from near and far and delivered a great message!
SFID Brisbane rally May 15.
Rally commenced 1030 am with a march around the streets of Brisbane. Led by the president of SFID Mal Kilpatrick holding the banner. Chants were shouted throughout the march which drew great attention from the people on the streets, who came out of their office buildings to watch. Chants included:
Manage Fraser like you oughta
Feed the dingoes, stop the slaughter
Under Bligh, dingoes die
Kevin Rudd, dingoes’ blood
Another species against the wall
Now’s the time to cherish them all
Harmony for K’Gari
Dingoes can’t eat studies Kate
Feed them now or it’s too late
If Australia’s wolf is left to die
Rudd can kiss his job goodbye
Justice for Jen – Now
The marchers culminated in front of parliament house by the haunting sounds of didgeridoo. Sam Catalino didgeridoo player who flew in from Newcastle especially to provide entertainment for the day.
Speakers included the following, some of which flew up especially for the day:
MC Malcom Kilpatrick introduced each speaker.
Traditional Owner Brisbane Elder Alec Davidson Welcome to Country
Butchulla Elder Marie Wilkinson—Traditional Owner Fraser Coast
Dr Eve Fesl OBE - Indigenous Professor, Linguist
Mr Glen Elmes MP – State Shadow Minister for Environment and Sustainability
Mr Ted Sorenson MP –LNP Member for Hervey Bay
Mark Pearson—Executive Director for Animal Liberation Australia - representative World League For the Protection of Animals – FLEW UP FROM VICTORIA ESPECIALLY FOR THE DAY
Dr Allan Wilton - Government Genetics Expert University of NSW – FLEW UP FROM NSW ESPECIALLY FOR THE DAY
Pat O'Brien - President O Australian Wildlife Association
Sue Bloom - Animal Behaviorist (trained animals for the movie babe
Sam Catalano Didgeridoo Player – FLEW UP FROM NEWCASTLE SPECIALLY
Speeches lasted an hour or so, followed by entertainment by Sam, Refreshments provided by Deb Sandy and Jenny Burns
The other side of the story for the protection of dingoes on Fraser Island.I do encourage you to view U-Tube link (Save Fraser Island Dingoes Channel), specifically Save Fraser Island Dingoes, 5 in total which are located in FAVOURITES. http://www.youtube.com/savefraserisdingoes#p/f
Have seen article in Sydney Morning Herald. SMH have printed which was not included in the Courier Mail article(linked below), the statement from UQ spokesman said 52% of the newly tagged dingoes were 6-7 mth old juveniles with an average weight of 10.85kg which we do not dispute and it in fact supports our claims
Common sense says you can't just add this justified data from UQ spokesman to the existing data by DERM which is tagged dingoes from 2001 and yes dingoes can and have lived 10-11 years ( have known of 2 personally) but this is very very few and quite rare, and Fraser Island dingoes are lucky to survive to the age of 2 inder current management and mortality rate is 0-1 from an average litter of 6-8. There are very few MATURE adults and male dingoes who do and can mate in their first year of life are fighting savagely more than normal (which is alarming) for adult females, so the question is do we listen to a species screaming out with desperate measures to reproduce for their survival, existence
We have also received 90 autopsy reports via FOI so that's at least 90 dead since data in 2001.
http://www.couriermail.com.au/news/queensland/protestors-want-more-transparent-data-on-fraser-island-dingo-deaths/story-e6freoof-1225867155553
Extract from SFID Statement
*STARVATION Fraser island dingoes are starving and desperate for food,encouraging more and closer interactions with people. Fraser Island cannot and has never sustained a completely wild population, living solely dependent on the bush for nutrient. DERM/QPWS is trying to force dingoes of the beach which is part of their territories and access to food washed up. If a territory is cleared by cruel management practices, another family group will simply move in.
LONG TERM: Establish a breeding program of the native animals, dingo prey food available that has been impacted upon since the implementation FIDMS (the 'No Feeding Policy' and withdrawal of food sources such as the brumbies, human waste and offal for example) Re-introduce native dingo prey species with constant monitoring on the impact of prey species and their availability
SHORT TERM: Immediate support NOW!. Monitored random 'hidden' food drops away from the public eye and not placed in the view of the dingoes, so not to impact on natural hunting and scavenging skills. In this way we can break the connection that dingoes make with visitors and food.
NO HAND FEEDING from the public..Huge fines need to apply A monitored specific diet reflecting the environmental impact from the dingoes on Fraser Island's native dingo prey species and what it can sustain.
A BALANCE of a wild existence and support is required and is very important to maintain a sustainable genetic population, which history has proven needs our support, the island sanctuary is simply not able to handle the numbers for genetically viable sustainability
SUMMARY: Complete withdrawal of the supplemented food component is not reflective or sustainable to the history of the Fraser Island dingo and has resulted in starvation Food has always been supplemented and is a necessary part of their diet which in 2006 was less than 20% which included plastics etc**
FIDMS has been in force since 2001 and has slowly removed the dingoes access to non-native, human implemented access to food, such as the brumbies, open dumps, human toilet waste and fish offal, resulting in starvation and amassive impact of the dingo prey food available on Fraser Island, and theimbalance of a sensitive eco-system of which the environment could not support such pressure. Not because of claimed inflated high dingo numbers. Fraser Island dingoes have NEVER been truly wild! they were brought ontoisland by the Badtjala and especially since European settlement andindustry. And for genetic sustainability we MUST support them. Fraser Island can not or has ever sustained a viable population surviving totally on their own!
*PERSONAL LIABILITY Personal responsibility and enforce close parental guidance / supervision, criminal charges should apply for negligence
*STOP HAZING (Hazing involves shooting the dingoes with clay pellets, marbles and lead sinkers using a high powered sling shot/shanghai.) This invokes fear and confusion into the dingo for all the wrong reasons, instead of encouraging shyness from humans. The DERM/QPWS strategy is encouraging desperate and opportunistic behaviour in their quest to obtain any sort of food sustenance, electing to face the sling-shot/shanghai
*OPEN AND TRANSPARENT: Our government fails to follow recommendations,dismissing current and past studies carried out by independent scientists and researchers and fail to adhere to their own management strategy For example the DERM/QPWS Fraser Island Dingo Management Strategy states that documented evidence of the animals behaviour (preferably using digital photos) must be used to confirm the allegations before an animal can be destroyed (FIDMS Review 2006 p 37).
REQUESTING also signed statements or video, proof of identification from complainants and witnesses. Clarification and reform of DERM/QPWS Dingo Behaviour Classification A-E.'E' is Dangerous and Aggressive and by definition- unrelenting attack, biting under continued self-defence. Alarming considering recent actions by DERM/QPWS Management now ignore the definition 'E' and have now began to interpret behaviour which has not been exhibited but classified 'E'.... just in case. 'E' classification does result in the animal being destroyed.....! Reform/adherence to the polices of current FIDMS.
FIDMS 2001 employed Dr Laurie Corbett as scientific advisor and revised by DERM/QPWS 2006 waiving some of Corbett's recommendations. Included is a disclaimer removing all responsibility from Dr Corbett for his contribution to FIDMS. Audit was carried out 2009 with Dr Corbett again employed by DERM/QPWS, he has supported the current Fraser Island Dingo Management Strategy FIDMS, again waiving all responsibility
The current agenda by DERM/QPWS affects the future sustainability of dingoes. Their immediate future is bleak and of course insults and disrespects all the dedicated hard work put in by our scientists and conservationists. Have we not learnt from the initial invasion of this beautiful country... do we still persist on destroying the fruits she has to offer, the culture, the people, the flora, the fauna and its breathtaking landscapes and diversity which we all call home.
*CONSEQUENCE OF FRASER ISLAND DINGO MANAGEMENT STRATEGY Research** and observations has shown since the implementation of this strategy came in. -Food removal has impacted on all prey species to the detriment/extinction of some on Fraser Island!. The evidence in the scats collected is clear.
SEASONAL TOURISM and WINTER RECREATIONAL FISHING impacts the diet of dingoes. - Management practices is what is effecting the dingoes behaviour, they are on a heightened sense of alert. - Constant hazing off the beach and causing fragmentation of dingo societies/family groups. (on Fraser Island there is no large prey, sodingoes are predominantly solitary hunters of smaller prey and mostly scavengers of their food.) - Destruction of Alpha, dominant adults and the Beta and Gamma members, results in no guidance to teach the young the ways of a dingo, pups dying as a result of ID tagging, juveniles killed for dominance play, fracturingfamily networks and a cruel death to orphaned puppies. Aggressive culling has caused the demise of strong cohesive dingo societies which was also exacerbated by the electrification of the fences at Eurong and Happy valley which are not effective! (Note: No fence at Orchid beach where alleged dingo attacks have occurred?) - Controlled burns are conducted when pups are still whelping, leaving them trapped in their dens - Genetic breakdown and in-breeding (Badtjala introduced mainland dingoes to the Fraser Island for genetic diversity - CRISIS in-breeding with siblings and in their first year of life.
* ATTACK By definition is relentless and make no mistake there is a huge difference between dominance play amongst juveniles, up to18mths with nips and clothing ripped to a full fledged ATTACK !!! This MUST be clarified. STOP the fear propaganda and media sensationalism DERM/QPWS runs a fear mythology...effecting attitudes and responses from visitors, interactions are positive when they don't believe they are going to be "attacked"
*COMPANIONSHIP The dingo societies close to townships have shown no concern or threat, living harmoniously with their human co-inhabitants, dingoes were companions to the Indigenous people 'Badtjala' and the Forestry Department who also had a worming program for them and the industries that have existed on Fraser Island and of course theresidents/communities Note: **No scat contained the human food component as the primary food source
*TOURISM and DERM/QPWS TRAINING Control self drives and cap the numbers especially during mating and puppy seasons.Responsible 'Tourism Operators' should although not required have all guides qualified in Eco Tourism specific to Fraser Island with a huge module on dingoes (Accredited training packages have been developed and are available)DERM/QPWS staff must be extensively trained and supported by a team of experts not employed by DERM/QPWS. Qualified and experienced (RPL) in respective sciences regarding autopsies/research with independents as part of the team again not employed by DERM/QPWS REFERENCE ( **DINGO DIET AND PREY AVAILABILITY ON FRASER ISLAND 2006. Dafna Camila Angel-E. Biologist-Hons. Universidad Nacional de Colombia. Freely available at the USC Website) which of course is out of date and none of the recommendations were actioned so situation is now much worse.
Joanne McKay
SFID Inc
SAVE FRASER ISLAND DINGOES - FACEBOOK
Publicity Officer
SFID Brisbane rally May 15.
Rally commenced 1030 am with a march around the streets of Brisbane. Led by the president of SFID Mal Kilpatrick holding the banner. Chants were shouted throughout the march which drew great attention from the people on the streets, who came out of their office buildings to watch. Chants included:
Manage Fraser like you oughta
Feed the dingoes, stop the slaughter
Under Bligh, dingoes die
Kevin Rudd, dingoes’ blood
Another species against the wall
Now’s the time to cherish them all
Harmony for K’Gari
Dingoes can’t eat studies Kate
Feed them now or it’s too late
If Australia’s wolf is left to die
Rudd can kiss his job goodbye
Justice for Jen – Now
The marchers culminated in front of parliament house by the haunting sounds of didgeridoo. Sam Catalino didgeridoo player who flew in from Newcastle especially to provide entertainment for the day.
Speakers included the following, some of which flew up especially for the day:
MC Malcom Kilpatrick introduced each speaker.
Traditional Owner Brisbane Elder Alec Davidson Welcome to Country
Butchulla Elder Marie Wilkinson—Traditional Owner Fraser Coast
Dr Eve Fesl OBE - Indigenous Professor, Linguist
Mr Glen Elmes MP – State Shadow Minister for Environment and Sustainability
Mr Ted Sorenson MP –LNP Member for Hervey Bay
Mark Pearson—Executive Director for Animal Liberation Australia - representative World League For the Protection of Animals – FLEW UP FROM VICTORIA ESPECIALLY FOR THE DAY
Dr Allan Wilton - Government Genetics Expert University of NSW – FLEW UP FROM NSW ESPECIALLY FOR THE DAY
Pat O'Brien - President O Australian Wildlife Association
Sue Bloom - Animal Behaviorist (trained animals for the movie babe
Sam Catalano Didgeridoo Player – FLEW UP FROM NEWCASTLE SPECIALLY
Speeches lasted an hour or so, followed by entertainment by Sam, Refreshments provided by Deb Sandy and Jenny Burns
The other side of the story for the protection of dingoes on Fraser Island.I do encourage you to view U-Tube link (Save Fraser Island Dingoes Channel), specifically Save Fraser Island Dingoes, 5 in total which are located in FAVOURITES. http://www.youtube.com/savefraserisdingoes#p/f
Have seen article in Sydney Morning Herald. SMH have printed which was not included in the Courier Mail article(linked below), the statement from UQ spokesman said 52% of the newly tagged dingoes were 6-7 mth old juveniles with an average weight of 10.85kg which we do not dispute and it in fact supports our claims
Common sense says you can't just add this justified data from UQ spokesman to the existing data by DERM which is tagged dingoes from 2001 and yes dingoes can and have lived 10-11 years ( have known of 2 personally) but this is very very few and quite rare, and Fraser Island dingoes are lucky to survive to the age of 2 inder current management and mortality rate is 0-1 from an average litter of 6-8. There are very few MATURE adults and male dingoes who do and can mate in their first year of life are fighting savagely more than normal (which is alarming) for adult females, so the question is do we listen to a species screaming out with desperate measures to reproduce for their survival, existence
We have also received 90 autopsy reports via FOI so that's at least 90 dead since data in 2001.
http://www.couriermail.com.au/news/queensland/protestors-want-more-transparent-data-on-fraser-island-dingo-deaths/story-e6freoof-1225867155553
Extract from SFID Statement
*STARVATION Fraser island dingoes are starving and desperate for food,encouraging more and closer interactions with people. Fraser Island cannot and has never sustained a completely wild population, living solely dependent on the bush for nutrient. DERM/QPWS is trying to force dingoes of the beach which is part of their territories and access to food washed up. If a territory is cleared by cruel management practices, another family group will simply move in.
LONG TERM: Establish a breeding program of the native animals, dingo prey food available that has been impacted upon since the implementation FIDMS (the 'No Feeding Policy' and withdrawal of food sources such as the brumbies, human waste and offal for example) Re-introduce native dingo prey species with constant monitoring on the impact of prey species and their availability
SHORT TERM: Immediate support NOW!. Monitored random 'hidden' food drops away from the public eye and not placed in the view of the dingoes, so not to impact on natural hunting and scavenging skills. In this way we can break the connection that dingoes make with visitors and food.
NO HAND FEEDING from the public..Huge fines need to apply A monitored specific diet reflecting the environmental impact from the dingoes on Fraser Island's native dingo prey species and what it can sustain.
A BALANCE of a wild existence and support is required and is very important to maintain a sustainable genetic population, which history has proven needs our support, the island sanctuary is simply not able to handle the numbers for genetically viable sustainability
SUMMARY: Complete withdrawal of the supplemented food component is not reflective or sustainable to the history of the Fraser Island dingo and has resulted in starvation Food has always been supplemented and is a necessary part of their diet which in 2006 was less than 20% which included plastics etc**
FIDMS has been in force since 2001 and has slowly removed the dingoes access to non-native, human implemented access to food, such as the brumbies, open dumps, human toilet waste and fish offal, resulting in starvation and amassive impact of the dingo prey food available on Fraser Island, and theimbalance of a sensitive eco-system of which the environment could not support such pressure. Not because of claimed inflated high dingo numbers. Fraser Island dingoes have NEVER been truly wild! they were brought ontoisland by the Badtjala and especially since European settlement andindustry. And for genetic sustainability we MUST support them. Fraser Island can not or has ever sustained a viable population surviving totally on their own!
*PERSONAL LIABILITY Personal responsibility and enforce close parental guidance / supervision, criminal charges should apply for negligence
*STOP HAZING (Hazing involves shooting the dingoes with clay pellets, marbles and lead sinkers using a high powered sling shot/shanghai.) This invokes fear and confusion into the dingo for all the wrong reasons, instead of encouraging shyness from humans. The DERM/QPWS strategy is encouraging desperate and opportunistic behaviour in their quest to obtain any sort of food sustenance, electing to face the sling-shot/shanghai
*OPEN AND TRANSPARENT: Our government fails to follow recommendations,dismissing current and past studies carried out by independent scientists and researchers and fail to adhere to their own management strategy For example the DERM/QPWS Fraser Island Dingo Management Strategy states that documented evidence of the animals behaviour (preferably using digital photos) must be used to confirm the allegations before an animal can be destroyed (FIDMS Review 2006 p 37).
REQUESTING also signed statements or video, proof of identification from complainants and witnesses. Clarification and reform of DERM/QPWS Dingo Behaviour Classification A-E.'E' is Dangerous and Aggressive and by definition- unrelenting attack, biting under continued self-defence. Alarming considering recent actions by DERM/QPWS Management now ignore the definition 'E' and have now began to interpret behaviour which has not been exhibited but classified 'E'.... just in case. 'E' classification does result in the animal being destroyed.....! Reform/adherence to the polices of current FIDMS.
FIDMS 2001 employed Dr Laurie Corbett as scientific advisor and revised by DERM/QPWS 2006 waiving some of Corbett's recommendations. Included is a disclaimer removing all responsibility from Dr Corbett for his contribution to FIDMS. Audit was carried out 2009 with Dr Corbett again employed by DERM/QPWS, he has supported the current Fraser Island Dingo Management Strategy FIDMS, again waiving all responsibility
The current agenda by DERM/QPWS affects the future sustainability of dingoes. Their immediate future is bleak and of course insults and disrespects all the dedicated hard work put in by our scientists and conservationists. Have we not learnt from the initial invasion of this beautiful country... do we still persist on destroying the fruits she has to offer, the culture, the people, the flora, the fauna and its breathtaking landscapes and diversity which we all call home.
*CONSEQUENCE OF FRASER ISLAND DINGO MANAGEMENT STRATEGY Research** and observations has shown since the implementation of this strategy came in. -Food removal has impacted on all prey species to the detriment/extinction of some on Fraser Island!. The evidence in the scats collected is clear.
SEASONAL TOURISM and WINTER RECREATIONAL FISHING impacts the diet of dingoes. - Management practices is what is effecting the dingoes behaviour, they are on a heightened sense of alert. - Constant hazing off the beach and causing fragmentation of dingo societies/family groups. (on Fraser Island there is no large prey, sodingoes are predominantly solitary hunters of smaller prey and mostly scavengers of their food.) - Destruction of Alpha, dominant adults and the Beta and Gamma members, results in no guidance to teach the young the ways of a dingo, pups dying as a result of ID tagging, juveniles killed for dominance play, fracturingfamily networks and a cruel death to orphaned puppies. Aggressive culling has caused the demise of strong cohesive dingo societies which was also exacerbated by the electrification of the fences at Eurong and Happy valley which are not effective! (Note: No fence at Orchid beach where alleged dingo attacks have occurred?) - Controlled burns are conducted when pups are still whelping, leaving them trapped in their dens - Genetic breakdown and in-breeding (Badtjala introduced mainland dingoes to the Fraser Island for genetic diversity - CRISIS in-breeding with siblings and in their first year of life.
* ATTACK By definition is relentless and make no mistake there is a huge difference between dominance play amongst juveniles, up to18mths with nips and clothing ripped to a full fledged ATTACK !!! This MUST be clarified. STOP the fear propaganda and media sensationalism DERM/QPWS runs a fear mythology...effecting attitudes and responses from visitors, interactions are positive when they don't believe they are going to be "attacked"
*COMPANIONSHIP The dingo societies close to townships have shown no concern or threat, living harmoniously with their human co-inhabitants, dingoes were companions to the Indigenous people 'Badtjala' and the Forestry Department who also had a worming program for them and the industries that have existed on Fraser Island and of course theresidents/communities Note: **No scat contained the human food component as the primary food source
*TOURISM and DERM/QPWS TRAINING Control self drives and cap the numbers especially during mating and puppy seasons.Responsible 'Tourism Operators' should although not required have all guides qualified in Eco Tourism specific to Fraser Island with a huge module on dingoes (Accredited training packages have been developed and are available)DERM/QPWS staff must be extensively trained and supported by a team of experts not employed by DERM/QPWS. Qualified and experienced (RPL) in respective sciences regarding autopsies/research with independents as part of the team again not employed by DERM/QPWS REFERENCE ( **DINGO DIET AND PREY AVAILABILITY ON FRASER ISLAND 2006. Dafna Camila Angel-E. Biologist-Hons. Universidad Nacional de Colombia. Freely available at the USC Website) which of course is out of date and none of the recommendations were actioned so situation is now much worse.
Joanne McKay
SFID Inc
SAVE FRASER ISLAND DINGOES - FACEBOOK
Publicity Officer
Sunday, May 2, 2010
Fraser Island Dingo Rally 3/5/10
Fraser Island Dingo Rally
savefraserislanddingoes@hotmail.com FACEBOOK - ‘SAVE FRASER ISLAND DINGOES’ SAVE FRASER ISLAND DINGOES (SFID) Incorporated, 50 Old Maryborough Road Pialba, HERVEY BAY QLD 4655 Ph: (07) 41241979 Fax: (07) 41243623
Starting at 10 am Saturday 15th May.Gathering at "Emma Miller Place" Roma St, Brisbane at 10 am. Walking at 10.30 am to Parliament House (approx 40 mins). Then 12 pm going to Musgrave Park, Cordelia St, South Brisbane. A bus will be available for a shuttle, or it's a pleasant 20 minute walk over Brisbane River via the footbridge near QUT/Botanical gardens.
At Musgrave Park there will be entertainment and refreshments, musical artists, indigenous dancers, Dingo education and materials, special guests and speakers. A bus will pickup from Hervey Bay, leaving at 5.30 am, and pickup from Maryborough, and then Gympie. For bus bookings and details (must be paid in advance ) contact SFID at the contact details above. *Network Item
savefraserislanddingoes@hotmail.com FACEBOOK - ‘SAVE FRASER ISLAND DINGOES’ SAVE FRASER ISLAND DINGOES (SFID) Incorporated, 50 Old Maryborough Road Pialba, HERVEY BAY QLD 4655 Ph: (07) 41241979 Fax: (07) 41243623
Starting at 10 am Saturday 15th May.Gathering at "Emma Miller Place" Roma St, Brisbane at 10 am. Walking at 10.30 am to Parliament House (approx 40 mins). Then 12 pm going to Musgrave Park, Cordelia St, South Brisbane. A bus will be available for a shuttle, or it's a pleasant 20 minute walk over Brisbane River via the footbridge near QUT/Botanical gardens.
At Musgrave Park there will be entertainment and refreshments, musical artists, indigenous dancers, Dingo education and materials, special guests and speakers. A bus will pickup from Hervey Bay, leaving at 5.30 am, and pickup from Maryborough, and then Gympie. For bus bookings and details (must be paid in advance ) contact SFID at the contact details above. *Network Item
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