28/01/2026
More great dingo information. I hope tourists and the politicians learn from this horrific outcome.
'Important information and factual information for anyone really interested in Australia's lion substitute - Canis dingo and wants to apply reality to the KGari "Wongari".
Over the years back to early 90's I have offered my services to QPWS heirarchy to assist with dingo issues, based on the species view of the world, not those of compliance driven humans. I have always been rejected, sometimes not even acknowledged.
I have worked with dingoes for over 30 years, and have come to understand what makes them tick. I cannot reach all visitors to KGari, but they can.
They do arrange for the ferry to run educational material on the way across - but the ignorant or the selfish attitudes do not deign to take it in. Visitors should, perhaps, not be allowed off the ferry without filling in and signing questionaire sheet that they have understood the implications of the advisory rules. First thing visitors see is a well positioned sign board with the need to follow instructions. If they don't then apply the fines they threaten.
Here are a few important observations of mine: Feel free to pass them on but please have the courtesy to recognise the source.
While dingoes are documented as incredibly intelligent - claimed by researchers from Duke, Harvard, Yale, Boston Cambridge UK and others, to be the most cognitive of all the world's canid species, including all domestic dogs, they cannot read. They learn with lightning speed and a single teaching session, mostly from their immediate environment and their parents.
Instinctively and honed into the genome, are territory matters. Born with a natural GPS they cannot simply be relocated successfully after 16 weeks of age. They respect the territory of recognised "others", whether canid or human, or whatever they observed to be in their birth space first off. Things that move into that territory later are to be mistrusted.
Food sources - very important for survival. Daily learning according to territory and hunting methods taught by parents or observation.
Their sensory equipment tells them lots about prospective prey - they can hear the state of a human heartbeat at 30 metres, and can instantly tell if their is a fault, a pacemaker, a hearing aid or simply racing fear. They can pick up a rabbit or possum heartbeat at 10 metres. You cant hide from a dingo if you are alive! If you are a marsupial with pouched young all the better - because dingo will pick up multiple heartbeats of marsupials, which will sacrifice young to escape a dingo chase, and dingoes have had thousands of years evolving with marsupials to be in complete harmony as nature needs. Also marsupials have no fat layer and dingo taste is for lean prey simply because they instinctively realise they do not have the genetics to produce the enzymes and pancreatic ability to metabolise fat or grain, as your dog does, with up to 22 copies of AMY2B. That particular gene is absent in dingoes. They avoid fat or greasy things.
Requiring only 500 grams daily they don't need a pack to find a meal, when a bush rat will suffice. Lone hunting is the go but a life partner is a must and dingoes are totally loyal to their bonded partner - for life. Their additional hunting sensory equipment eclipses all other canid species and will serve for survival where water, hidden live food items that do not emit a heartbeat, but vibrate. Uniquely, dingoes are geared by nature to prefer what was present in their environment prior to the arrival of foreigners in sea vessels.
Dingoes are naturally averse to man made ungulates dripping in fat and greasy fleeces which will kill them with pancreatitis. Man has stupidly and erroneously assumed onto the dingo all that the predators of every other landmass have evolved to prey upon. Mainland dingoes resent hugely any introduced usurper on their marked territory such as cats and foxes and pigs. They also resent introduced herbivores feeding on their true prey's food sources. They protect and guard and even nurture their prey sources. Will never wipe out their favourite food items. KGari coastal dingoes enjoy crabs, fish, cicadas, along with the inland low weight range mammals. The island therefore may have two divisions where any secretive inland dingoes utilise more meat based prey. They really dont need much, are naturally lean and fit. Most humans, used to their obese couch potato pets jump to the very erroneous conclusion that the Wongari are starving. They dont need thick double coat, or fat layer to survive on their island home. Nature sees to it all.
When humans act like wounded prey - changing shape, waving arms about, squealing, shouting, running no dingo, and not your own domestic dog, can disobey their built in instinctive prey drive to chase.
While your dog has lost the natural outcome to nip or bite for food, the dingo has not been dumbed down as our dogs have and this nip can be simply the food bite that is the natural finale of the entire instinctive chase. Think it through. Children act like injured prey in the dingoes mind. Don't let them be out of parent reach at any time while around lions, or tigers, or dingoes.'
Lyn Watson, founder & director.
