+ Wild Dog Information

The term 'wild dog' refers collectively to purebred dingoes, dingo hybrids, and domestic dogs that have escaped or been deliberately released. In Queensland, wild dogs create a number of economic, environmental and social problems - particularly for agricultural businesses. An Invasive Animals Cooperative Research Centre 2009 report estimates wild dogs cost Australia at least $48.5 million per year in livestock losses, disease spread and control.

The wild dog is a restricted invasive animal under the Biosecurity Act 2014, which means all landholders have a responsibility to minimise the risks associated with invasive animals under their control. Wild dogs cannot be moved, kept (if a dingo), fed, given away, sold or released into the environment without a permit.

+ Diseases & Parasites

Wild dogs can act as a reservoir for parasites and diseases that affect livestock, wildlife and domestic pets, including sheep measles, hydatidosis, mange, distemper, hepatitis, parvovirus, Neospora caninum and toxoplasmosis. Wild dogs may also act as a reservoir of infection for some exotic diseases such as rabies. This would make eradication of the disease difficult and may have far reaching economic and social implications.

+ Human Health

Wild dogs harbour a number of parasites of significance to human health such as, roundworms, hookworms and hydatids. The most important parasite of wild dogs in Australia is the hydatid tapeworm. This parasitic tapeworm is present in a high percentage of wild dogs and the intermediate stage, the hydatid cyst, is sometimes fatal to humans. Care should be taken to wear gloves and wash hands thoroughly with soap and water after handling wild dogs and domestic livestock with injuries.

+ Agricultural Impact

Wild dogs may significantly affect domestic livestock industries such as sheep, cattle, goats and poultry, through predation and disease. The sheep industry is the most significantly impacted but attacks on calves and larger cattle are quite common.

Livestock enterprises located adjacent to wild dog habitat may suffer severe localised predation. The cost of predation is not confined to direct losses through livestock deaths. Injured livestock require treatment and the livestock owner spends time supervising and protecting their flock. Indirect impacts include, poor weight gain, reduced wool growth in sheep and mismothering and loss of lambs. Financially, capital outlay for control techniques such as trapping, shooting and baiting may be substantial.

Contrary to common belief, cattle are also susceptible to wild dog attack. Young calves or young cattle are most vulnerable and older cows, steers and bulls may be maimed and killed. In areas where hydatids are endemic in wild dogs, a large proportion of cattle offal may be condemned at abattoirs to minimise risk of transmission.

Predation may occur in all months of the year and patterns vary slightly among areas but commonly peaks in March to June on the tablelands and inland, and in October to November on the coast. It is only through accurate reporting of wild dog sightings and attacks that wild dog management plans can be developed.

+ Signs of Predation

The first signs of wild dog predation are often livestock carcases, flightiness of livestock in response to disturbance, such as mustering with dogs, or injured and straggling livestock.

If adult sheep or calves are the prey then wild dogs would normally be implicated, whereas lambs may be killed by foxes, wild dogs or eagles. When carcases are fresh, inspect for signs of blood, saliva and bite marks and footprints around the animal. The presence of dog footprints at the carcasses does not necessarily mean predation was the cause of death. Pieces of wool with patches of skin attached and blood trails, are good indicators of wild dog attacks. If these are not apparent and there are no other obvious explanations for the death, skin the neck area and bruising and tooth marks will be obvious if dogs have attacked and killed the animal. One should never discount stray town or farm dogs as potential killers.

Wild dogs often attack from behind as sheep or calves move away. If attacked animals survive, they may have substantial tissue damage around the hindquarters, be lame, be without tails or have skin hanging from them. Sometimes, ears and tails are chewed on older cattle. Surviving calves often show only teeth marks as evidence of dog attack and the area around the bite becomes swollen through infection and flystrike.

+ Biodiversity Impact

The impact of wild dogs on native species varies between areas. Predation by wild dogs can have negative impacts on some threatened species. For example, wild dog predation can be a high source of mortality in koala populations and this combined with habitat fragmentation has the potential to cause local extinctions.