The National Wild Dog Action Plan (NWDAP) commends the efforts of the ACT Parks and Conservation Service who continue its targeted wild dog control efforts along the boundaries of Namadgi National Park, focusing on managing wild dog populations that pose risks to adjoining properties.
A central aim of this control program is the ground baiting and trapping of wild dogs in conservation areas adjacent to rural lands, to reduce attacks on livestock.
The program occurs within identified buffer areas which are adjacent to conservation areas and not the whole park, said National Wild Dog Management Coordinator and ecologist Greg Mifsud.
“Contrary to some recent media reports, dingo and wild dog populations continue to turnover through births, deaths, immigration and emigration, so control methods are an essential management tool,” said Mr Mifsud.
Namadgi National Park shares its boundaries with large expanses of wilderness such as Kosciuszko and Brindabella National Parks, which also support dingo and wild dog populations.
Latest Stories
These wilderness areas are interconnected so the dingoes in Namadgi National Park should not be viewed in isolation, but as part of a larger population that spans the entire region.
Chris Patmore, a West Australian lamb and wool producer and Chair of NWDAP, stated that dingoes interact with a wide range of native, introduced and domestic animals, and not all interactions are positive.
“They are a formidable predator that can cause severe impacts to farmers and landholders by harming livestock, particularly sheep.
“These attacks cost the Australian economy upwards on $89 million per year, causing serious emotional and psychological damage to rural communities and families,” said Mr Patmore.
The NWDAP remains committed to evidence-based, humane, and targeted control measures like those around the edge of the Namadgi National Park, which support both conservation and livestock protection goals.
“Wild dog management is not about wiping out populations,” said Mr Mifsud.
“It’s about keeping negative impacts to manageable levels in specific areas.
“It’s obvious that the rate of increase amongst wild dog and dingo populations across the country is far greater that those being removed by control programs or natural mortality, because the populations continue to persist across about 80 per cent of the continent and are naturally increasing in other areas.
“If they were not resilient to this type of control, then wild dogs and dingoes would have been eradicated long ago.
"But that’s not the case: populations continue to regenerate.”
The NWDAP promotes a nationally coordinated approach to managing the negative impacts of wild dogs on primary production, environment and social assets throughout Australia and is supportive of existing focused wild dog control efforts such as those being utilised by the ACT Parks and Conservation Service.
For more information about the National Wild Dog Action Plan, visit www.wilddogplan.org.au.
