ON MARCH 14 the unprotection order for dingoes in the northwest of the state was revoked, and with no government commitment as to whether the Wild Dog Control Program will be renewed after its current term ends on October 1, farmers across the North East are concerned.
The revoked order was triggered by research conducted by the Arthur Rylah Institute suggesting the dingo population in the northwest of Victoria is at imminent risk of extinction if threats to the population are not addressed.
A spokesperson for the Victorian government said, “We are currently undertaking a comprehensive assessment of Victoria’s dingo population to guide management practices that most appropriately balance the protection of livestock and the conservation of dingoes.”
Defined as both a native animal and an agricultural pest, along with holding cultural significance for indigenous people, the challenge now lies in finding that balance.
MEMBER FOR NORTHERN VICTORIA WENDY LOVELL said the government dumped the northwest zoning without consulting landholders, and with only a couple of hours’ notice.
Ms Lovell is concerned the state-wide Wild Dog Control Program will meet a similar fate in October.
The Department of Energy, Environment and Climate Action oversees the program.
“The Bush Telegraph says the department is already talking to dog men about their future… and an end to their trapping," said Ms Lovell.
In Victoria, dingoes are listed as a threatened species under the Flora and Fauna Guarantee Act 1988, and are protected under the Wildlife Act 1975.
However, there are allowances.
Currently the Wild Dog Control Program allows the control of dingoes where they threaten livestock, with wild dogs declared unprotected within a 3km Livestock Protection Buffer zone on public land in eastern Victoria, and on most private land across the state.
This is under review, with the government assessing future policy for dingo conservation and management in light of new scientific research suggesting a significantly greater proportion of Victoria’s wild dogs or dingo-dog hybrids may in fact be purebred dingoes.
“Before any decision is made ministers must hear from those who lived through the days of wanton wild dog killings, they need to see, feel and hear of the pain that this takes – both physically and emotionally,” Ms Lovell said.
MEMBERS OF THE NORTH EAST WILD DOG ACTION GROUP are skeptical that any promised consultation with farmers and other stakeholders will eventuate.
The group is also requesting that any data on wild dog populations in the Victorian high country and surrounding areas be made available and placed on the table for discussion.
“We are very concerned and fear the lack of support from our state government will see the program closed, possibly overnight and before the October 1 deadline as happened in the north-west,” said Libbe Paton from the group.
“This snap decision now protects dingoes on both public and private land, leaving sheep and cattle producers unable to protect their own livestock.”
Where dingoes threaten livestock in the north-west, farmers must now apply for an Authority to Control Wildlife to use lethal control in circumstances where no other options are available.
The North East Wild Dog Action Group is made up of a committee of proactive livestock producers and from experience believe that non-lethal measures like exclusion fencing and guard animals do not work.
The committee is also dubious of recent research used to inform the government’s new policy of dingo protection.
“The study claims that 87 per cent of all wild dogs in Victoria are purebred dingoes compared with previous data showing one to three per cent were pure dingo,” Ms Paton said.
A further 6.5 per cent of the sample were identified as backcrosses with more than 93 per cent dingo ancestry.
“This study was based on only 62 dog samples of questionable origin in Victoria and was funded by the Dingo Conservation Foundation,” Ms Paton said.
THE NATION-WIDE STUDY identified four genetically separate wild dingo populations that had previously been misidentified.
Researchers now believe the vast majority of wild canines are in fact pure dingoes and are calling on the removal of the term ‘wild dog’ from the lexicon, with the misnomer allowing animals to be targeted for eradication.
The term ‘wild dog’ currently identifies “any dog living in the wild including, including feral domestic dogs, dingoes and their hybrids”.
All are considered invasive species and subject to lethal control measures, including within the perimeter of conservation areas like National Parks where native animals are protected.
Legislation has been determined by the mistaken belief that interbreeding between dogs and dingoes was widespread, and the resulting hybrids were the main issue.
However recent DNA research shows dingo-dog hybrids are rare, with most dingoes having little to no dog ancestry.
This has led to scientists, conservationists and indigenous people demanding a change to dingo policies and calling for acknowledgment of the species as an apex predator that serves an important role within the environment .
Farmers are concerned that any changes to policy will find themselves on the wrong side of the law, forced to choose between protecting their flock or risk fines and court cases shooting a protected species.
VICTORIAN FARMERS’ FEDERATION PRESIDENT EMMA GERMANO emphasised that it was vital that farmers report all interactions with wild dogs to Agriculture Victoria, especially attacks on livestock and number of stock impacted.
“The data collected by the department is critical to us mounting a case for farmers to maintain access to the tools needed to protect livestock from predation,” she said.
“The Minister of Agriculture Ros Spence has assured the VFF that she wants to provide certainty for producers in other parts of the state around their ability to continue to manage wild dogs and dingoes.”
However, the VFF is seeking government commitment to re-establish the Wild Dog Management Advisory Committee ensuring future decisions are informed directly by the knowledge and experience of livestock producers.
The federation is also requesting commitment that wild dog management activities continue to be funded and supported by the state government, with the VFF calling on government support for producers in the north-west and a review of the revocation of the unprotection order.
THE NATIONAL WILD DOG ACTION PLAN is Australia’s blueprint strategy for wild dog management that guides state, regional and local plans in accordance with the principles of the Australian Pest Animal Strategy 2017-2027.
Greg Mifsud, the National Wild Dog Management Coordinator believes if the Victorian government ends the Wild Dog Control Program, there will be serious and far-reaching implications for Victoria’s wildlife, the economy and its biodiversity.
“Changes to the program would put at risk the state’s $4.5 billion sheep and wool industry and the 9,200 jobs that it provides for rural Victorian residents," said Mr Mifsud.
“Sheep and wool producers would be almost powerless to protect the welfare of their animals from wild dog attacks, which raises important questions about how we prioritise the welfare of one animal over another.
“There’s also a substantial emotional toll on producers when they experience attacks on their livestock, so it is likely we would see an increasing level of stress and impacts to producer wellbeing if the Wild Dog Control Program is changed.
“The Victorian government has a strategy for an agriculture sector that is strong, innovative and sustainable.
“One of the aims of the strategy was to make Victorian agriculture an engine of growth for the state’s economy: attracting investment, supporting jobs and helping communities thrive.
“It will be challenging to achieve this goal if wild dogs are allowed to run rampant across the state.”
Mr Mifsud said that there is very limited publicly available information on the actual number of wild dogs in Victoria.
“The only information available is the number of wild dogs trapped by the wild dog control program,” he said.
“Since 2017 numbers have remained relatively constant between 500 and 630 trapped per year.
“This is in addition to those that are aerial and ground baited in the livestock protection zone, of which we have no figures for.”
Mr Mifsud believes that available data indicates the population of dingoes in the 2.6 million hectares of public lands where no control occurs is in fact healthy and sustainable.
“Industry doesn’t want to eradicate dingoes, just control their numbers,” he said.
“The wild dog control program allows us to strike a balance between dingo conservation, the growth of the livestock industry and the protection of Victoria’s biodiversity.
“Whilst we acknowledge the environmental and cultural significance of the dingo, legislative mechanisms like the unprotection order are critical to ensure livestock, wildlife and domestic pets are protected.”
SHEEP FARMER STEVE MARSHALL has caught seven wild dogs over the last two weeks on his Booroolite property, with another four or five on his radar after cameras set up on his property captured footage of the pack.
“Out of the seven, six of them were eight or nine years old, so they’ve avoided being caught for a while,” he said.
“And six were bitches.
“It gives you a fair idea of what’s going on out there, if they each were to have six to eight pups in the spring.”
Mr Marshall said the big male dog had only one canine tooth left.
“He had hardly any teeth left in his head which gives you an indication of his age, and how long he’d been out there,” he said.
Mr Marshall can list properties in the region that have also recently suffered attacks and stock losses.
“My neighbour has merinos and he lost ten over Easter,” he said.
Mr Marshall is trying to get on top of the issue before lambing starts.
“I had an incident a few years back when I bought some sheep that lambed unusually early for around here,” he said
“It was March, and once the wild dogs knew we had lambs within two weeks they had cleaned up about 70, before we eventually managed to catch them.”
The dogs were trapped over ten kilometres away and then the killing stopped.
“I believe the problem is getting worse,” Mr Marshall said.
“Many years ago in this area, every farm had sheep and cattle.
“Now there’s only three of us left who have sheep.
“The rest have got out, which is intensifying the problem for the remaining sheep farmers.”
DR MATT MAHONEY OF AGRIDOME CONSULTANCY coordinated the three-year ‘Less Predators, More Lambs’ project.
Funded by Meat and Livestock Australia and supported by the Centre for Invasive Species Solutions along with the Department of Energy, Environment and Climate Action, eight sheep producers primarily within the Goulburn Broken catchment participated in the program.
Over the time-period, producers observed a clear impact from predators, with the project estimating that improved predator management would benefit the entire region.
“The core producers experienced substantial losses due to wild dog attacks during the project,” said Dr Mahoney.
“These attacks did only affect a small proportion of the group, however despite their infrequency, when these attacks did occur, they proved devastating to the ewe flock concerned.
“Looking ahead the project highlighted the need for further investment and focus on wild dog management, as this remains a significant issue for producers.”
PAUL DIAMOND OF PINNAROO PASTORAL at Goughs Bay is one of these producers.
He believes the current measures under the Wild Dog Control Program should be the minimum requirement to tackle the issue.
“I’ve lost over $20,000 value of sheep – approximately five per cent of my breeding herd,” Mr Diamond said.
“Along with on-farm efforts, the Wild Dog Control Program supports both from a mental health and an on-farm control point-of-view.
“Without these programs, it leaves us farmers in the dark all day every day.
“If we all get out of sheep due to the impact, it’s only a matter of time before the dogs start taking down newborn calves and young cattle.
“If we were to make wild dogs protected we would be in a lot of trouble.
“The program needs to be kept and managed to support farmers all through the North East.”
MEMBER FOR BENAMBRA BILL TILLEY emphasised that retaining the 3km Livestock Protection Buffer zone is essential to wild dog management.
Last September, the state government signed a 12-month extension to the buffer zone, moving away from the previously accepted five-year term.
The measure was billed as interim, to allow for a comprehensive assessment of the dingo population.
Bill Tilley is fearful that once this period is up on October 1, laws designed to protect livestock from wild dogs will be scrapped.
"Those who have lived through the torment and the terror of the pre-buffer zone can show it has saved livestock and protected people," Mr Tilley said.
"Between 2000 and 2004 the average sheep losses alone were close to 4000 a year, under the buffer it is just over 1000.
"Landholders in the Upper Murray slept in swags for weeks on end to protect their livestock before the buffer."
Mr Tilley is calling on the government to listen to the people and communities with lived experience.
"Ministers need to hear these stories, they need to hear the voices quiver as they tell of the brutal night-after-night attacks.
"However I fear the ministers, advisors and departments are surrounded by those who believe these cross-bred wild dogs are pure dingo.
"They're not," he said.