Dingoes are one of Australia’s few terrestrial apex predators and play an important role in maintaining healthy ecosystems. Yet across Australia, they are still being poisoned, trapped and shot under laws that often classify them as pests.Â
We’re calling for stronger protections and humane, science-based approaches that reduce conflict without unnecessary killing.Â
Dingoes help maintain healthy ecosystems by preying on introduced animals such as foxes and cats, while also influencing the abundance, movement and behaviour of kangaroos, wallabies, and other wildlife across the landscape.
For many First Nations peoples, dingoes are family. They have long been recognised as important cultural companions and are deeply connected to stories, knowledge systems and caring for Country.
Dingoes are intelligent, social and sentient animals capable of experiencing pain, fear and stress. Like all wildlife, they deserve to be treated humanely and protected from unnecessary suffering.
For more than a century, dingo management in Australia has been shaped by efforts to remove them from the landscape, particularly in areas used to raise farm animals.
Over time, this approach became embedded in laws, policies and land management practices. Today, in many states and territories, dingoes are still classified as “wild dogs” and treated as pests, despite being a native Australian species that has lived on this continent for thousands of years.
How we classify animals matters. When an animal is labelled a pest, the focus shifts to removing it rather than understanding its role in the environment, its cultural significance, or its value as a sentient living being.
As a result, poisoning, trapping and shooting remain common responses to conflict between dingoes and landholders.
Lethal control is often used with the aim of reducing farm animal losses, but growing evidence suggests it is not effective in the long term.
Dingoes live in family groups with established social structures. Within these groups, older animals pass knowledge and learned behaviours to younger generations. When family groups are disrupted through poisoning, trapping or shooting, younger or less experienced animals may act unpredictably. This disruption can sometimes increase, rather than decrease, predation on farm animals.
Lethal control raises significant animal welfare concerns, which can include impacts on other animals through secondary poisoning, and can weaken the ecological role dingoes play in the landscape.
In some states and territories, dingoes are even being killed in national parks, places established to protect Australia’s wildlife. Despite these concerns, thousands of dingoes continue to be subjected to lethal control every year.
Protecting farm animals and protecting dingoes are not mutually exclusive.
Across Australia, landholders are successfully using non-lethal approaches to manage dingoes while allowing them to remain in the landscape. These approaches are often referred to as predator-smart farming.
Predator-smart farming focuses on preventing dingo predation on farm animals before it occurs. Depending on the property and animals being managed, this can include guardian animals to protect sheep and cattle, exclusion fencing and deterrents to keep dingoes away, and changes to farm animal management practices such as closer supervision during lambing, bringing vulnerable animals into safer paddocks, and the prompt treatment or removal of sick and injured animals.
These methods can help protect farm animals while reducing reliance on lethal control.
Evidence shows that coexistence approaches can reduce conflict while recognising the important ecological role dingoes play in Australia’s environment.
Learn more about Predator Smart Farming.
Dingoes should be recognised and managed as the native species they are.
Current laws and policies in many parts of Australia continue to prioritise lethal control, despite growing evidence of the ecological importance of dingoes, the limitations of widespread killing, and the availability of effective non-lethal alternatives.
We’re calling on governments to recognise dingoes as native wildlife, invest in coexistence approaches, and replace outdated policies with science-based management that protects both wildlife and farming communities.
It’s time for laws that reflect what we know about dingoes and the important role they play in Australia’s ecosystems.
Australia’s dingoes deserve better than outdated policies that treat them as pests.Â
Add your name today and call for stronger protections, humane management and science-based solutions that support both wildlife and farming communities.Â
Together, we can help ensure dingoes are recognised as native wildlife, protected by stronger laws and managed using humane, science-based solutions.Â
Yes. Dingoes have lived in Australia for thousands of years and are an important part of our ecosystems and cultural heritage. Regardless of when they first arrived, they are a long-established part of the Australian landscape and should be recognised and treated accordingly.Â
Dingoes are one of Australia’s few terrestrial apex predators and play an important role in maintaining healthy ecosystems. By regulating other animal populations, they help keep ecosystems in balance and may reduce the impacts of introduced predators such as foxes and cats.Â
The term “wild dog” is incorrectly used to describe dingoes and dingo-dog hybrids. In many parts of Australia, this misleading classification means dingoes are managed as a pest, despite being a native species.Â
No. While dingoes are often killed with intent of reducing predation on farm animals, evidence suggests widespread lethal control does not provide a long-term solution. Disrupting dingo family groups can increase conflict, as younger or less experienced animals may behave unpredictably. A solution that has to be repeated indefinitely is not a lasting solution. This highlights the need for greater investment in coexistence solutions such as predator smart farming to tackle the problem at source.Â
Predator-smart farming refers to practical, non-lethal methods that help prevent dingo predation on farm animals at source. These can include guardian animals to protect sheep and cattle, exclusion fencing and deterrents to keep dingoes away, and changes to farm animal management practices such as closer supervision during lambing, bringing vulnerable animals into safer paddocks, and the prompt treatment or removal of sick and injured animals.
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