Dingo CARE Network [home]

Welcome to . . .

The home of Dingo CARE Network Incorporated

Incorporated under the Associations Incorporation Act 1981 on 21 June 2004 No A0045881H

Dingo CARE was established in May 2004. The aims of Dingo CARE are to:

Conserve the dingo by managing and promoting a captive breeding program with stock shown to be DNA pure, and by lobbying to have the dingo taken off vermin lists and officially recognised as an endangered species.
Appreciate the unique qualities and characteristics of an animal that has survived in a range of Australian habitats for approximately 5000 years.
Research the biological and behavioural aspects of the dingo that have made this animal so unique, and little understood.
Educate the community regarding the nature of the dingo and its place in the Australian ecosystems, dispelling the many myths that have developed since European colonisation.

The significance of the dingo in Australian ecosystems and to
Aboriginal culture :

At the time of British colonisation in New South Wales , the dingo (Canis lupus dingo) ranged across the Australian continent and, apart from man, was the top order land predator. Yet, evidence suggests that the dingo was a relative newcomer to Australian ecosystems.

According to Dr Tim Flannery, Director of the South Australian Museum , from about 5,000 years ago, the dingo revolutionised Australian Aboriginal culture and the natural environment. Flannery argues that the arrival of the dingo was closely associated with profound changes in aboriginal language, stone tool technology, food production, population levels and trade patterns. At the same time, these changes in indigenous culture were linked to environmental changes which were, in turn, also associated with the impact of the dingo.

Flannery links the arrival of the dingo with one of the great puzzles of aboriginal language: how to explain how the great majority of aboriginal inhabitants of the Australian continent spoke dialects derivative of a single, recently introduced language family — Pama-Nyungan. How could such a recently introduced language have gained dominance so quickly, especially given evidence of perhaps 46,000 years of human occupation? One possibility is that the dingo acted as a form of technological innovation, providing the newly-arrived Pama-Nyungan speakers a distinct advantage over the incumbent population, allowing them to rapidly travel across the continent.

As Flannery states: "Imagine the boost given to a clan that could harvest meat twice as rapidly as its neighbours". The decline in marsupial numbers as a result of the arrival of the dingo, Flannery further argues led to an increased abundance of grasses, which in turn provided the basis for the increased propensity of Aboriginal people to harvest and eat grass seeds. This increased propensity appears to have occurred by about 1000 years ago.
This shift in diet may have been associated with a further increase in human population. As Flannery states:

"In this dingo-driven revolution we see a profound restructuring of Australia 's ecosystems and human cultures, which involved a further diminution of the role of large herbivores, and an increase in human population fuelled by harvesting newly available plant foods. This was a dramatic departure from what had gone before."

Dingo Head

Facing extinction:

Tragically, the dingo is now on the verge of extinction and there are very few dingoes in captivity that are known to be pure. Scientists believe that there will be no pure dingoes in the wild within 20 years.

The two main threats to the dingo are hybridisation with domestic dogs (Canus lupus familiaris) and "pest animal" eradication programs, conducted by state governments at the behest of the farming industry.

These two threats are interconnected. Whereas dingoes within intact packs are not very likely to breed with domestic dogs, packs that are disrupted through poisoning and trapping programs, are more likely to hybridise. Now that pure or near pure dingo populations in now in dangerously small numbers in the wild, the impact of state-sponsored poisoning may now be the greater of the two threats to the dingo's survival as a species.

Pup

We must act to preserve the dingo before it is too late.

Dingo CARE Network promotes the preservation of the dingo by:

Maintaining a captive breeding program of genetically pure dingoes.
Assisting prospective new dingo owners by introducing them to "dingo behaviour" and the legal responsibility of dingo ownership.
Keeping a "pup register" and ensuring that dingo pups are sold to responsible persons.
Maintaining a dingo studbook — a register of pure captive dingoes, their location, breeding status and ancestry (where possible).
Advocating and participating in research that will ensure a greater understanding of the nature, history and significance of the dingo as a unique Australian animal.

If you are:

Interested in conducting or assisting in research
Would like to own a dingo
Would like to know more about our work
Would like to assist us in our work.

If you would like to join our organisation, a membership form can be downloaded, and completed and sent with the membership fee to:

Please contact:

	Dingo CARE Network PO Box 124 Lower Plenty Victoria 3093 E-Mail: DINGO

Puppy Time:

It is now puppy time and we are always looking for responsible new owners. Without committed people willing to take part in the captive breeding program, we may not be able to save the dingo from extinction.

Owning a dingo is a uniquely rewarding, but demanding experience, one that some Dingo CARE Network members have enjoyed over many years. Before Dingo CARE allows pups to be sold, we ensure that the prospective owners understand dingo behaviour and requirements.

Legislative requirements in Victoria

The different States of Australia have different legislation governing the keeping of dingoes in captivity. Dingo CARE Network is based in Victoria , where it is mandatory to have a Department of Sustainability and Environment permit.