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
Tuesday, November 9, 2010
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
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