By Jaylene Musgrave
Australia’s world heritage listed Fraser Island is renowned for its beautiful dingoes but the country’s purest strain of dingo is now on the verge of extinction under the Queensland Government’s current management plan. Some of the Australia’s leading experts are speaking out on the sad plight facing the island’s dingoes.
The late Steve Irwin’s father, Bob, says the dingoes have become emaciated and weak since the electrification of grids and fences on the island. More than 100 dingoes live on the World Heritage-listed island but, since electrification began in 2001 after the attack and death of 9-year-old Clinton Gage, the animals now have limited food sources. A multitude of dingoes, including puppies have been shot and poisoned on the island in the wake of the boy’s killing.
Throughout Queensland, hundreds and possibly thousands may have been poisoned and shot in the week following his death. Renowned scientist Alan Winton predicts the fate of the island’s dingoes is an inevitable one if the Government’s management plan is not changed.
Photographs show malnourished dingoes on the island, including one animal loitering around a rubbish bin at the Eurong dump looking for food. Can you imagine an Australia without the dingo?
Well, it’s something you may not have to imagine if this continues as Fraser has the countries purest strain, and scientists agree there will be no wild dingoes left except in dingo parks and sanctuaries.
Sustainability Minister Kate Jones and Premier Anna Bligh continue to take advice from their minions instead of visiting the island and need to be held accountable for the excruciating pain the dingoes are suffering daily and their ultimate demise, if nothing is done immediately.
The Queensland Parks and Wildlife Service defended the dingoes’ wellbeing and say the animals are “not starving”.
“It is important to remember that dingoes in the wild are of a naturally lean build,” an EPA spokesperson said.
“The hierarchical population structure means the dominant animals are likely to prevent access to food by subordinates, and this means there will always be some animals that are in poorer condition than others.”
Residents of the island sighted the dingoes bringing rats to their pups before electrification of the fences and grids but now some of the dingo mothers are believed to be too weak to feed their young.
Bob Irwin says the current laws are “heavy-handed”.
“Nobody should have to walk past an animal that’s starving and the Fraser Island dingos are emaciated,” he said.
Hervey Bay MP Ted Sorensen has spoken to Minister Jones to discuss the health and feeding of dingoes on the island .He says claims there is no evidence of dingoes on Fraser Island starving to death are “laughable”. Mr Sorensen says the minister is out of touch and she should visit the Island.
“To say that is absolute rubbish at the end of the day and I think Kate Jones should go over there and have a look at some of the dingoes on Fraser Island that are starving,” he said.
“If you had a dog like that in your backyard, the RSPCA would have you charged with animal cruelty for what’s happening on Fraser Island.”
But Ms Jones says there is a healthy number of dingoes on the island and a census is under way to confirm the population level. Ms Jones says she has seen no evidence the dingoes are starving. She says feeding stations are inappropriate because the dingoes are wild animals. She also says the government’s dingo strategy is working.
But Mr Sorensen says he fears the island’s management strategy is affecting the health of the dingo population.
“With the amount of animals that have been shot on Fraser Island I’m really concerned about the number of dingoes,” Mr Sorensen said.
On online petition being circulated has hundreds of people worldwide expressing their disgust at the way the dingoes are being mistreated with many saying they won’t return to the island until and when the dingoes are made a priority and protected.
Nicola Ziebarth is one such visitor and writes: “If you went to America would you let your kids run around the forest with wild bears? No you would hope to be smarter than that. In saying that, dingoes are wild animals and we as Australians should respect that and be aware that if you are going to camp on Fraser that yes, there are wild animals there. I have camped there prior to the first culling after slack parents did not watch their children as they climbed over a fence that was clearly posted with signs to stay out as dingoes had young — we had no problems with the first lot of dingoes who were on our camp site. People just need to be smarter, watch their children and not interfere with the dingoes and keep their wits about them.”
It is not the dingoes that have created a problem on the island, it is people, and people need to rectify this abhorrent and shameful situation before these precious animals go the same way as the Tasmanian Devil.
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Save OUR native dogs, whats going on with this government? WAKE UP TO YOURSELVES
the dingoes were on Fraser island first we are in there territory.
so we should all respect the wild dingoes for what they are they are only cruel to humans because we are cruel to them the rangers are making it worse.The dingoes ARE starving to death no wonder they are attacking humans they are just hungry for god sake.
P.S I live on Fraser island i should know that the dingoes are starving to death.
Wildlife carer and photographer got a suspended jail sentence and a $40 k fine for feeding dingoes! How many developers are guilty of killing off koalas and making them endangered, and all the other abuses to wildlife that goes on but is not considered relevant, but FEEDING hungry dingoes attracts the full extent of the law! The problem is concern for tourists over-rides logic. The animals are just a side issue. Officials are worried the dingoes might attack people then have to be killed. It is about litigation and keeping people “safe”, not about responsibility for the animals. We have invaded and destroyed so much wildlife habitats, and altered their feeding sources, so much since our Colonial times. If native animals are “starving” it is because we have changed ecosystems so much. Therefore, we need to ensure that food is available, as a trade-off. Tourists should not be able to feed them, but park rangers and wildlife carers should provide food in a way that it is not directly from them – as humans! This legal outcome is warped and shows just how little our wildlife are considered, and our economy comes first!
I read with great distress an article in Saturday’s Coffs Coast Advocate,titled “Dingo attack on Fraser Island”. The caption on the photo said “Dingoes attracted to a 4WD after having sand kicked at them on Fraser Island’. All 3 pups were subsequently destroyed,after exhibiting ‘allegedly agressive behaviour’.The photo depicted 3 small dingo puppies sitting quietly in the sand at a distance while a tourist was taking photos standing next to a 4WD. I did not see any threatening behaviour from these pups,like all pups they may have been acting playful prior to the photo being taken.
Who was the authority that made the decision to destroy them,and all other dingoes that have been destroyed recently. Surely not in our name.
Surely these dingoes on Fraser Island were there long before these tourists started racing up and down the beaches in their 4WD’s. Is there noone in authority who is prepared to protect our wildlife over the needs of tourists? Or is the almighty tourism dollar again more important that the welfare of our wildlife. The department of Environment and Resource management should be protecting the habitat of our native species,whilst also controlling the number of tourists who come to these socalled pristine areas of Australia. I say,wake up and stand up for our environment over greed and profit,if Government departments are unable or unwilling to do their job to protect our heritage,perhaps we as individuals have to,before it is too late