Dingo: Call to Action

The dingo is not a “wild dog" but a native species

By Aunty Donna Beach, Wanika Close and Fiona West

Right now, the Wild Dog Act Management Plan is under review by the Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development (DPIRD), who are accepting public submissions. DPIRD will soon present an updated plan to Hon. Jackie Jarvis, Minister for Agriculture. The plan will shape how this native species is treated across WA.

The current plan confuses the dingo with the “wild dog” and allows – under biosecurity exemptions – this native apex predator to be classified and treated as a pest. That means baiting, trapping and poisoning continue to impact one of Australia’s most important cultural and ecological species. The confusion is lethal.

At the same time, across Australia, Indigenous-led dingo conservation projects are restoring balance and cultural connection:

• The Minyumai IPA team in New South Wales is monitoring and managing a wild pack of dingoes on Country, restoring balance to the landscape.
• Girrigun Aboriginal Corporation recently hosted the inaugural National First Nations Dingo Forum, calling for national protection of this culturally significant species.
• Binalup Rangers in WA’s south west adopted two orphaned wild dingo pups to join their patrols and conservation work – a symbolic return of dingo to Minang and Goreng Country, where they once thrived before government extermination policies.
• In WA’s south east, the Esperance Tjaltjraak team is leading long-term monitoring of dingo populations across Wudjari Country, studying their role in ecological health as part of landscape restoration and cultural continuity.

Others across Australia are contributing advocacy and scientific research:

• The Defend the Wild team is raising public awareness of the dingo’s ecological role and cultural significance.
• Balu Blue Foundation is working hard to care for dingo and push for stronger protections.
• Research by Dr Kylie Cairns and others conclusively shows that the dingo is a distinct species, different from feral dogs.

All this is shaping an integrated, national movement for the recognition and recovery of this essential species. This evidence, combined with cultural leadership and community-led conservation, is building real momentum – momentum that deserves our collective support and attention.

In WA, these efforts intersect with large-scale programs like the State Barrier Fence (Dog Fence) and Western Shield, which rely heavily on 1080 baiting. There’s little data on how these measures impact dingos – yet the risk of harm is real. It’s time to re-evaluate programs like Western Shield and align management with modern ecology as well as the cultural knowledge that has sustained Country for millennia.

Here's how you can help:

• Save the date for the upcoming Dingo Panel, venue to be advised, featuring short films and guest speakers from across Australia, on Sunday 8^th February 2026.
• Sign Defend The Wild’s petition: www.defendthewild.org/stop-1080
• Send an email submission on the Wild Dog Act Management Plan. Even a short statement of concern helps.

Read the WA Wild Dog Act Management Plan (DPIRD) here: https://library.dpird.wa.gov.au/bs_publishedrpts/53/ then request a new management approach — one that reflects the science, cultural values, and ecological importance of the dingo. Email your submissions to Mr Tim Thompson, Manager of the Vertebrate Pest Management Program, DPIRD at tim.thompson@dpird.wa.gov.au

 Let’s make sure the voice of our community — and the howl of the dingo — are heard.

 Header photo: Dingo. _{Credit: David Guilfoyle}

_{[Opinions expressed are those of the author and not official policy of Greens WA]}