Dingoes are Australia’s largest land predator and play an important role in keeping ecosystems healthy. Yet across Australia, they are still being poisoned, trapped and shot under laws that often classify them as pests. We’re calling for stronger protections and humane, science-based approaches that reduce conflict without unnecessary killing.
Dingoes are Australia’s top land predator. By helping control introduced species such as foxes and feral cats, they play an important role in protecting native wildlife and maintaining healthy ecosystems.
For many First Nations peoples, dingoes are family. They hold deep cultural significance and are closely connected to identity, story and Country.
Dingoes have lived on this continent for thousands of years. They are a unique part of Australia’s natural and cultural history and deserve to be recognised and protected as native wildlife.
Across Australia, dingoes are being poisoned, trapped and shot.
Most people don’t realise this is still happening. Under many state laws, dingoes are classified as pests, allowing lethal control to be used as a routine response to livestock conflict.
This approach is based on outdated assumptions.
Killing dingoes is often intended to protect farm animals, but evidence shows lethal control doesn’t solve the problem in the long term. Dingoes typically live in family groups. When these packs are disrupted, younger or less experienced dingoes can behave unpredictably, which may increase livestock attacks rather than reduce them.
At the same time, these methods raise serious animal welfare concerns and can impact other native species.
In some states, dingoes are being killed in national parks, places intended to protect wildlife.
For a long time, dingoes have been managed with one goal in mind: protecting livestock. When conflict happens, the default response has been to kill them. Over time, this approach became built into laws, policies and land management across Australia.
Today, in many states, dingoes are still labelled as “wild dogs” and treated as pests, even though they are a native species that has lived on this continent for thousands of years. Once an animal is labelled a pest, the way we see it changes. Instead of understanding its role in the environment, the focus shifts to removing it.
That means less attention is given to the role that dingoes play in ecosystems, the impact of removing them and the alternatives that could reduce conflict without killing.
Because of this, dingo management still relies heavily on poisoning, trapping or shooting them. Methods that are widely used across Australia, even as evidence raises questions about how effective they are, as well as their impacts on animal welfare, ecosystems and native wildlife.
Protecting livestock and protecting dingoes are not mutually exclusive.
Across Australia, non-lethal methods are already being used to reduce conflict between predators and livestock. These include guardian animals, deterrents and improved livestock management practices that help keep farm animals safe without killing wildlife.
Evidence shows that relying on lethal control alone is often ineffective in the long term and can make problems worse.
An approach focused on coexistence, can reduce conflict while recognising the important role dingoes play in Australia’s ecosystems.
Dingoes should be recognised and managed as the native species they are. We’re calling for governments to recognise dingoes as native animals with important ecological and cultural significance and stops the persecution of them as pests.
It’s time for policies that reflect what we know about dingoes and the important role they play in Australia’s ecosystem.
Australia’s dingoes deserve better than outdated policies that treat them as pests. Add your name today and call for stronger protections, humane management and science-based solutions that support both wildlife and farming communities.
Together, we can help create a future where dingoes are valued for the vital role they play in Australia’s environment.
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