Peri-urban wild dogs in north-eastern Australia : Ecology, Impacts and Management

Abstract

Wild dog impacts are increasingly being felt by agricultural producers and residents of towns and suburbs throughout the more populated areas of eastern Australia. Wild dogs in these areas can have substantial impacts on residential communities, fragmented conservation estates and a number of primary industries including grazing, dairy and intensive livestock industries. In various forums, local governments throughout Australia have consistently identified the need to improve our understanding of wild dog ecology and develop control tools and strategies for managing peri-urban wild dogs. State and local governments need this information to assist in planning and coordinating control activities and develop extension materials. Peri-urban wild dog management is often contentious and difficult to implement given the presence of a variety of stakeholders with wide-ranging and often conflicting ideologies. This conflict is compounded by a general lack of understanding about wild dog ecology and the effectiveness of management techniques in these environments.

There has been a critical need to assess the nature, impacts and origins of wild dog problems and provide a knowledge base from which to manage wild dogs in peri-urban environments. This project was initiated to improve management through understanding the ecology and impacts of peri-urban wild dogs, with a view to developing best practice management strategies and guidelines for implementing control in peri-urban areas. This report summarises the research findings and outputs from this project, and provides recommendations for future work.