The myth of wild dogs in Australia: are there any out there?

Cairns, Kylie M.; Crowther, Mathew S.; Nesbitt, Bradley; Letnic, Mike

doi:10.1071/am20055

Cited by 24 publications

(33 citation statements)

References 72 publications

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“…Dingoes can hybridize with modern dog breeds, and the genetic purity of dingoes varies across the continent [ 103 , 104 ]. For the purposes of our study, we have included dietary data for all free-roaming populations of dingoes, modern domestic dogs and their hybrids, hereafter collectively termed ‘dingoes', and have not tried to disentangle dietary studies according to the genetic purity of the source dingo population.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Distinctive diets of eutherian predators in Australia

et al. 2022

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Introduction of the domestic cat and red fox has devastated Australian native fauna. We synthesized Australian diet analyses to identify traits of prey species in cat, fox and dingo diets, which prey were more frequent or distinctive to the diet of each predator, and quantified dietary overlap. Nearly half (45%) of all Australian terrestrial mammal, bird and reptile species occurred in the diets of one or more predators. Cat and dingo diets overlapped least (0.64 ± 0.27, n = 24 location/time points) and cat diet changed little over 55 years of study. Cats were more likely to have eaten birds, reptiles and small mammals than foxes or dingoes. Dingo diet remained constant over 53 years and constituted the largest mammal, bird and reptile prey species, including more macropods/potoroids, wombats, monotremes and bandicoots/bilbies than cats or foxes. Fox diet had greater overlap with both cats (0.79 ± 0.20, n = 37) and dingoes (0.73 ± 0.21, n = 42), fewer distinctive items (plant material, possums/gliders) and significant spatial and temporal heterogeneity over 69 years, suggesting the opportunity for prey switching (especially of mammal prey) to mitigate competition. Our study reinforced concerns about mesopredator impacts upon scarce/threatened species and the need to control foxes and cats for fauna conservation. However, extensive dietary overlap and opportunism, as well as low incidence of mesopredators in dingo diets, precluded resolution of the debate about possible dingo suppression of foxes and cats.

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Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Distinctive diets of eutherian predators in Australia

et al. 2022

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“…As semi-wild companions, they contributed to Aboriginal society as hunting assistants, waterfinders and guardians (Philip 2020). Despite this long association they retained their independence, remaining true to the description of wild living canines (Cairns et al 2021), not reliant on human society for food or water, and exerting influence as apex predator on local flora and fauna (Fig. 8).…”

Section: The Ecological Role Of the Dingomentioning

confidence: 99%

“…All wild canine populations in Australia are predominantly of dingo heritage (see "The myth of wild dogs in Australia: are there any out there?" Cairns et al 2021). Genetic testing indicates dingo populations in central Australia, and to the north and west of the continent, are largely free from introgression with domestic dogs.…”

Section: The Ecological Role Of the Dingomentioning

confidence: 99%

The Dingo Barrier Fence: Presenting the case to decommission the world’s longest environmental barrier in the United Nations Decade on Ecosystem Restoration 2021–2030

Philip¹

2021

BIOLOGIA FUTURA

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The longest environmental barrier in the world is Australia's 5614 km Dingo Barrier Fence. The structure was completed in the 1950s, designed to facilitate the eradication of the country's apex predator and cultural keystone species the dingo (Canis dingo) from sheep (Ovis aries) grazing areas to the south-east of the continent. The fence and its support systems now present an immense obstacle to ecological restoration in Australia's arid zone, preventing traditional management practices, and are hazardous to all terrestrial wildlife in the immediate vicinity. The barrier presents a worst-case scenario for animal-generated seed dispersal patterns over the wider region and limits genetic transfer. Plummeting biodiversity inside the fence line and increasing pressures of climate change have left this region highly vulnerable to ecological collapse. Concurrently, sheep numbers have contracted over 75% in the arid zone since 1991, due to market forces and climate change, while demand for ethically produced goods such as predator-friendly meat production and organic produce is increasing. Decommissioning the Dingo Barrier Fence, moving the stock protection zone south and diversifying land use would not impact significantly on the current livestock production. It offers a sound economic alternative for the region, with the potential for regeneration of 82 million hectares of land, a scale encouraged for inclusion in the global initiative the United Nations Decade for Ecosystem Restoration (2021–2030). This would restore connectivity across the region, including vital access to the waters of the Murray Darling Basin. This would provide mitigation for the effects of climate change, new markets in organic and sustainable industries, and support ecological and cultural renewal.

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“…Predation by wild dogs (i.e. dingoes, see Cairns et al 2021) is documented by the NSW government as a threat (see DPIE 2021). Our modelling suggested that presence of the dingo had no influence on occupancy or detection of the black-striped wallaby.…”

Section: Conservation and Managementmentioning

confidence: 99%

Utilising power analyses and occupancy modelling to inform population monitoring of the regionally endangered black‐striped wallaby (Macropus dorsalis) in New South Wales

McHugh

Goldingay

2021

Austral Ecology

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Small macropodoid marsupials are well represented among Australia's extinct and threatened mammals. Population monitoring is central to understanding how remaining species respond to on-going landscape change and threatening processes on private land and within managed conservation reserves. Camera trapping and occupancy modelling provide a reliable approach to monitor these often cryptic species. However, understanding the survey effort required to detect population declines of a given magnitude with high statistical certainty is often overlooked. We use empirical data from camera trapping and occupancy modelling to determine an optimal survey design for a regionally endangered population of the black-striped wallaby. We established a 1200 ha grid of 60 cameras and sampled in three 30-day intervals over a 1-year period. We investigated factors that may influence occupancy and detection followed by power analyses with our broad objective being to devise a monitoring program that would be robust enough to detect a 50% decline with at least 80% power. This species was not detected at rainforest sites. Na€ ıve occupancy within eucalypt forest was 0.42. The detection probability (using 5-day detection occasions) varied with season (from 0.17 AE 0.04 in autumn to 0.34 AE 0.05 in spring). Occupancy was negatively influenced by shrub cover and negatively influenced by elevation. We found no apparent influence of dingo detection on occupancy or detection of the black-striped wallaby. We explored different configurations of detection sites and number of survey occasions to satisfy our 50:80 criteria when initial occupancy was 0.40. Sampling 60 sites for a minimum of 30 days would satisfy these criteria. Power analyses can inform optimal designs for threatened species monitoring and similar investigations should be conducted for other threatened small macropods to assist their conservation.

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The myth of wild dogs in Australia: are there any out there?

Cited by 24 publications

References 72 publications

Distinctive diets of eutherian predators in Australia

Distinctive diets of eutherian predators in Australia

The Dingo Barrier Fence: Presenting the case to decommission the world’s longest environmental barrier in the United Nations Decade on Ecosystem Restoration 2021–2030

Utilising power analyses and occupancy modelling to inform population monitoring of the regionally endangered black‐striped wallaby (Macropus dorsalis) in New South Wales

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