Wild dogs cost hundreds of millions of dollars every year, according to Hunter Local Lands Services (LLS).
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Not only do wild dogs kill livestock but they kill working dogs and pet dogs while chained up on verandahs. Wild dogs also having a devastating effect on native wildlife like koalas and endangered mammals such as the potoroo.
Mid North Coast Wild Dog Association Inc (WDA), with the support from LLS and National Landcare Program are holding a Wild Dog Awareness Day at Gloucester CWA Hall on Sunday, April 30. The session is open to everyone.
A research program, conducted over 10 years ago, established there were very few dingoes left on the Mid North Coast, with less than 10 per cent of the animals captured DNA testing positive as dingoes.
“The problem with wild dogs is that they kill for fun,” president of Mid North Coast WDA, Julie Steepe said.
“Whilst dingoes kill for food, these wild dogs we have now just kill because they can.”
According to research undertaken by Cooperative Research Centres (CRC), wild dogs can have territories of hundreds of kilometres and can travel up to 25kms in one night. Some wild dogs may not return to the same farm for four to six weeks.
”The biggest tool we have, and the easiest way people can get involved, is to report any sightings they might have. Government agencies are saying there are no wild dogs around because they don’t have any data for dogs in the area. They want data, let’s give them the data,” Julie said.
Report sighting via Community Wild Dog Alert, Mid North Coast Wild Dog Association and Wild Dog Control Bulahdelah Facebook pages or directly on Feralscan or LLS office.
