Dingoes and wild dogs

Submitted: Saturday, Mar 01, 2008 at 20:18

ThreadID: 55091 Views:4262 Replies:12 FollowUps:17

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I enjoy the peace and solitude that comes from being in the bush on my own. In particular I like going to Newnes in the Wolgan Valley (NSW) and exploring the surrounding countryside. On my last trip I followed the Wolgan Valley Railway formation to the site of the long defunct Constance Locomotive Depot in Zorbels Gully, which I guess was about an hour’s walk from where I left the truck. While wandering around and seeing what I could find my reverie was interrupted by the howl of Dingos further up gully. Now, I have been told that the local Dingoes have interbred with wild dogs and the off-spring have lost their fear of man and that local farmers have been bailed up on occasion. Being on my own I thought discretion was the better part of valor and, picking up a few good stones, headed back to my truck. As much as I love exploring on my own, in the future I will only be exploring this part of the world in company. I am wondering if anyone else has had any experiences with Dingoes and/or wild dogs and what you did.

BruceV

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Reply By: Footloose - Saturday, Mar 01, 2008 at 20:42

Saturday, Mar 01, 2008 at 20:42

A dingo in the wild has a great deal of curiosity. I once had a boot taken from outside my tent by one at Purni Bore.
Have seen several well fed ones while traversing various deserts etc, but never been bothered by one while camping.
However, right from day 1 I was convinced that a dingo could have taken the child at Uluru.
And when they breed with wild dogs....anything could result. I've seen wild cats the size of a small pony! (confirmed by 3 other sober people and the park ranger)
So it's best to keep a weather eye out when camping etc. Your chance of being attacked by a pack of them are extremely remote, but there is always that chance. About the same chance of being hit on the head by a meteorite I rekkon :))

AnswerID: 290286

Follow Up By: mowing - Saturday, Mar 01, 2008 at 21:06

Saturday, Mar 01, 2008 at 21:06

Went to Whiteman Park (bit of an adventure park/picnic area in the northern suburbs of Perth) to take the dog for a run. There was a couple of Blue Heelers there and a dingo. It was an Alpine Dingo and the owner got it from a guy in the Snowy's that had about 100 of them. It was a pure bred and a nice dog that enjoyed playing with the other dogs. He was saying that he believed the wild pig and roo increase was as a result of the culling of dingo's with 1080. This makes sense.
He had a black eye and a few cuts and bruises and said that he was attacked by 6 aborigines when he came of night shift the other night.
I know who he feels more safe with.

FollowupID: 555625

Reply By: Member -Captain Chaos (QLD) - Saturday, Mar 01, 2008 at 21:01

Saturday, Mar 01, 2008 at 21:01

About 10 years ago I was inAlice Springs there was a guy that was walking from Darwin to Adelaide for charity. he had a cattle dog as a companion , several klms south of Alice he and the dog were attacked by cross breeds it was only that a truckie came along and saved them.(I don't believe he did charity work again)

I have also had dealings with wild cross breeds around Beaudesert QLD and believe me I have never been so worried lucky I was helping to move and had a mattress between me and the dog. They were taking cattle at my brother in laws property. The dogs were big enough to take you on one on one let alone a pack.

AnswerID: 290289

Follow Up By: Hairy (NT) - Saturday, Mar 01, 2008 at 21:28

Saturday, Mar 01, 2008 at 21:28

Gday,
Thats not uncommon in Alice and its getting worse.
Camp Dogs are the biggest problem...You'd hardly call them dingos anymore.
A mate went for a walk a while ago with his son and dogs and was attacked by a pack of camp dogs! His dogs were killed.

Mind you if your could see and hear my neighbours at the moment I reckon youd rather face a pack of dogs!!!

Cheers

FollowupID: 555633

Follow Up By: Footloose - Saturday, Mar 01, 2008 at 21:32

Saturday, Mar 01, 2008 at 21:32

I'm a light sleeper in remote areas. But I do keep a non firearm weapon in the tent. Beaudesert...heck, that's not too far away :((

FollowupID: 555634

Follow Up By: Footloose - Saturday, Mar 01, 2008 at 21:34

Saturday, Mar 01, 2008 at 21:34

Hairy, do they pass sawdust ? LOL
I rekkon you should shift away from those camps, before the Govt gives your place to em. Now that would be a sorry situation.

FollowupID: 555636

Follow Up By: Hairy (NT) - Saturday, Mar 01, 2008 at 21:45

Saturday, Mar 01, 2008 at 21:45

Gday Footloose,
If they would stay away long enough for some silly bugger to buy my house Id be happy!
Cheers

FollowupID: 555643

Reply By: obee - Saturday, Mar 01, 2008 at 21:11

Saturday, Mar 01, 2008 at 21:11

I remember when it was illegal to keep german shepards because of the fear of interbreeding with the wild dogs. and then it was legal and all manner of ill tempered and large breeds were allowed to flourish. Now we have the problem that once was feared and all because of some fetish for animals that dont belong here.

Owen

AnswerID: 290291

Follow Up By: Patrolman Pat - Monday, Mar 03, 2008 at 14:44

Monday, Mar 03, 2008 at 14:44

I'm curious as to what kind of animals do belong here. I've owned a GSD in the past and currently own a GSD x Rotty. Both fine, well trained, well mannered dogs. Dogs generally are not a problem, it's bad owners and breeders that should be highlighted, not the particular breed.

FollowupID: 555938

Reply By: Hairy (NT) - Saturday, Mar 01, 2008 at 21:23

Saturday, Mar 01, 2008 at 21:23

Gday,
Apparently Fraser Island has the only pure Dingoes left in Australia.

Cheers

AnswerID: 290294

Follow Up By: bv - Saturday, Mar 01, 2008 at 22:04

Saturday, Mar 01, 2008 at 22:04

Hairy,

I read somewhere recently that a pure bred group of dingoes has been found in the more remote reaches of Lake Burragorang in the Blue Mountains National Park.

BruceV

FollowupID: 555646

Follow Up By: Steve from Top End Explorer Tours - Saturday, Mar 01, 2008 at 22:08

Saturday, Mar 01, 2008 at 22:08

Kakadu and Arnhemland are full of them.

Cheers Steve.

FollowupID: 555647

Follow Up By: Hairy (NT) - Saturday, Mar 01, 2008 at 22:17

Saturday, Mar 01, 2008 at 22:17

Yeah....I dont know but some documentry I saw on the ABC a while ago reckoned That Fraser had the only 100% dingoes left in the wild???

Mind you It was just after a kid got maulled on Fraser and they were about to blow a heap of them away. Might have been trying to stop the culling.

Cheers

FollowupID: 555650

Follow Up By: mowing - Saturday, Mar 01, 2008 at 22:59

Saturday, Mar 01, 2008 at 22:59

The guy with the dingo was telling me about this story which I had not heard. I will tell you his version..... The female dingo had pups and she also had some eye condition. The children tipped sand on the dingo which aggravated the eyes and then they crabbed one of the pups and the male reacted by biting one of the kids and it bit an artery in the leg and the young person died of blood loss. End of his version.
I don't know but if the only pure breeds are left on Fraser and humans go there to camp and leave food scraps then when something happens they(the authorities) go on a mad cull shooting any dingo in sight.
If we didn't go there, no problem would exist or at least went there with a knowledge of what the risks were. It is like the sharks, as soon as there is shark attack, lets go kill the sharks. Doesn't sound quite fair to me to kill things that were there first purely so we can have safe recreational pursuits.

FollowupID: 555657

Follow Up By: Member - DAZA (QLD) - Sunday, Mar 02, 2008 at 14:52

Sunday, Mar 02, 2008 at 14:52

Hi All

My Wife and I stayed at King Fisher Bay Resort on Fraser Island,a
couple of years back, we were sitting in the Resorts Restaurant,
on the out side dinning area, it was just on dusk, when this Dingo
casually walked up the ramp entrance and strolled among the dinners,
one of the staff said it was a common occurrence, and they said
people were always throwing food scraps to them,which was a big
no no, apparently the rangers soon after had relocated them to another part of the island, you cant blame the animals for peoples
stupidity.

Cheers

Daza

FollowupID: 555726

Reply By: SoloGirl - Saturday, Mar 01, 2008 at 21:25

Saturday, Mar 01, 2008 at 21:25

I haven't had a personal encounter outside my vehicle with a dingo yet, but here in Alice I'm on the northern outskirts of town, and just 2 kms from me on a homestead, the owners have a continual problem with them.
They have bred with the camp dogs and have lost their inate fear of man although they tend to remain as sneaky as ever...
Also, they have a horrible habit of luring the homestead dogs away from the house and then tearing them to bits.

AnswerID: 290295

Reply By: MEMBER - Darian (SA) - Saturday, Mar 01, 2008 at 21:52

Saturday, Mar 01, 2008 at 21:52

Palm Valley campground a few years back - first thing in the am - broad daylight - a few campers up and about for brekkie but a few still snoozing in their swags off to the side - and there was a dingo sniffing around the flap on one swag ! Was it on leave from Yulara ? ....looking for another baby ? I reckon they are game when they are peckish - if their need is great enough, they'll have a go it seems - Jon Muir had to shoot his way out of trouble with dingos on one of his "strolls" across Australia a few years back.
http://www.abc.net.au/queensland/stories/s1495872.htm

AnswerID: 290305

Follow Up By: Hairy (NT) - Saturday, Mar 01, 2008 at 21:57

Saturday, Mar 01, 2008 at 21:57

My kids had to take to the trees after some dingoes started stalking them at Birthday waterhole.

FollowupID: 555645

Follow Up By: mowing - Saturday, Mar 01, 2008 at 23:14

Saturday, Mar 01, 2008 at 23:14

Fair go Hairy, Can we at least keep this on a level.
"My kids had to take to the trees after some dingoes started stalking them at Birthday Waterhole"
Its not the main street of Alice and what do you consider stalking. Where were you and how far away from camp are we talking about?.

It is lucky that we don't 4wd in Africa otherwise there would not be a lion, tiger or leopard left.

FollowupID: 555659

Follow Up By: Hairy (NT) - Sunday, Mar 02, 2008 at 00:32

Sunday, Mar 02, 2008 at 00:32

mowing,
Keep it on the level?
What has the main street of Alice got to do with Birthday Waterhole?
Stalking-To walk with a stiff, haughty, or angry gait
-To move threateningly or menacingly
-To pursue by tracking stealthily
-To follow or observe (a person) persistently
Where was I? Collecting fire wood.
How far from the camp? About 500m

"It is lucky that we don't 4wd in Africa otherwise there would not be a lion, tiger or leopard left."
What the bloody hell has that got do with my kids climbing a tree to get away from dingoes????
My kids have been brought up in an environment where you need to think for yourself occationally. And for them to climb a tree and let me know what was happening rather than panic is the sensible thing to do.
Weather you love dingoes or hate them a seven year old kid is no match for a pck of dingoes....Have you ever seen them pull down a cow?

But just for the record...if they continued this sort of behaviour they would have got a warning with a 44-40...

FollowupID: 555664

Follow Up By: mowing - Sunday, Mar 02, 2008 at 21:36

Sunday, Mar 02, 2008 at 21:36

Hairy, my point was that it is the bush and not civilisation ie city. My concern was and is that some people try to put the fear of god into others (not saying that you were) that don't know any different ie tourist that may see a dingo and think that it needs to be killed because I have read that it stalks people. They are a wild animal just as lions and tigers are in Africa hence my reference to that part of the world. Understand that when I talk about dingoes I am talking pure bred not camp dog cross. On Fraser there was a report of a woman tourist getting on all fours with food in her mouth and getting a dingo to take the food from her mouth for the camera. How high is a 3 y/o child- about the same height as this woman on all fours. The tourists just need to leave them alone ie no food scraps or camera shots.

Anyway I didn't realise that you had such a good bike!

FollowupID: 555839

Follow Up By: Hairy (NT) - Sunday, Mar 02, 2008 at 22:38

Sunday, Mar 02, 2008 at 22:38

Gday ,
Mate.. If people understood dingoes are a pack dog with hunting instincs they wouldnt confront them!! Therefore the dogs woulnt bite people so you wouldnt have to shoot them.
Just learn to live with them! and that is put a healthy fear into peolple and shoot the bleep out of the trouble ones.... and in a 100 years they might still be around.

Were are you from mate?

FollowupID: 555857

Follow Up By: mowing - Sunday, Mar 02, 2008 at 23:21

Sunday, Mar 02, 2008 at 23:21

G'day Hairy, I am from WA (Perth). My point exactly, if people leave them alone and not use them like koala bears being held by japanese tourists for the camera then you will know which ones are bad or should I say have a mean streak which needs to be culled out. But if you have tourists feeding them, patting them and generally encouraging them to come close, the problems will start.

Regards

Mark

FollowupID: 555869

Reply By: Member - Kim M (VIC) - Saturday, Mar 01, 2008 at 22:27

Saturday, Mar 01, 2008 at 22:27

Bruce

Never ever had a problem with Dingoes or wild dogs in the bush. It appears to be more of a domestic issue, rather than camping in Isolated areas.

Things may have changed in some areas, but I've always found wild dogs to be very timid around a camp site, particularly up in the high country.

In the desert there is often evidence of Dingo footprints around the camp site in the morning, but that's only a sign of scavenge.

If your concerned about your safety, there use to be a gadget that let off one hell of a bang (similar to a rifle shot) designed to scare off animals. Don't know if its still available.

Having said all that, if you have young children or a small dog, you need to be careful.

Regards

Kim

AnswerID: 290310

Reply By: Voxson - Saturday, Mar 01, 2008 at 23:14

Saturday, Mar 01, 2008 at 23:14

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Look what followed me home one day lol.

AnswerID: 290316

Reply By: Member - BIGDOG G (WA) - Saturday, Mar 01, 2008 at 23:56

Saturday, Mar 01, 2008 at 23:56

Yeah, look I reckon theres lotsa rumors and inuendo.
There is no doubt a pack of dogs can be trouble...even in town,
but I have never personally seen any dingo trouble towards humans.
Yes they are curious and will sneak into camp, but can anyone say they have been attacked or even threatend (personally) by dingoes.
Not A friend of a friend or your uncles 3rd cousin in 1849.

Cheers..............BIGDOG

AnswerID: 290321

Reply By: MEMBER - Darian (SA) - Sunday, Mar 02, 2008 at 08:14

Sunday, Mar 02, 2008 at 08:14

The Frazer Island / child death incident of a few years back may be appropriate to the discussion - at least it illustrates the fact that the dogs will size up "opportunities" - a hungry dog in the vicinity of prey it thinks it can handle is not a good mix, anywhere in the country. Didn't they say in the classics somewhere - "walk tall, and carry a big stick" ?

AnswerID: 290336

Reply By: Mike Harding - Sunday, Mar 02, 2008 at 08:28

Sunday, Mar 02, 2008 at 08:28

It's a big problem in the Vic High Country around Omeo - mainly lost hunting dogs and domestic dogs gone feral, they are taking a lot of stock and frequently live a nice, protected life in National Parks.

One dog on it's own; no problem, avoid direct eye contact, stay calm and keep moving - have knife at the ready. A pack (two plus dogs) avoid if possible, if they look at all threatening Rule 303 applies - NP or not.

If often hear them howling up there (scared a New Chum Pommie friend of mine half to death one night :) but have never had them come closer than about 200m from camp.

Mike Harding

AnswerID: 290338

Reply By: sfletch - Monday, Mar 03, 2008 at 14:16

Monday, Mar 03, 2008 at 14:16

My mate has a property (backs onto nat park) on the other side of the hill from Newnes. (Glen Davis) and there r numerous reports of feral dogs.His nieghbour had a dog come up to his tent in the night growling and going off,had a gun with him,but shot over the dogs head not at it. Another mate had a property at Putty and was chased by wild dogs.I have also seen a pack of wild dogs in the Watagans chewin on a wombat,some yrs ago now, very dingo/shepard looking.

AnswerID: 290583