Can Dingoes and Farmers Coexist?

Australia is a land of stark contrasts—vibrant red deserts, lush forests, and sprawling farmlands. But for many farmers, it's a land of survival, of adapting to a challenging environment. And in this rugged landscape, one animal stands at the center of a centuries-old conflict: the dingo.

The dingo is believed to have arrived over 4,000 years ago, likely with Indigenous people (Auld et al., 2021). Over time, this wild animal became a cornerstone of Australia's biodiversity as the apex predator. However, as European colonisors expanded into the outback, they quickly came into conflict with the dingo. Farmers viewed the animal as a threat to their livestock, sparking a tension that has lasted for generations (Pople et al., 2012).

By the late 19th century, the Australian government began constructing the dingo fence, the longest man made structure in the world at 5,600 kilometers (Mackie et al., 2003). This fence, built to keep dingoes out of farming areas, was a direct response to the perceived threat posed by these dingoes to sheep and cattle.

While the fence may have succeeded in protecting crops and livestock in some areas, it’s been argued that such measures have not only isolated ecosystems but also disrupted the delicate balance of nature (Letnic et al., 2012).

In todays landscape, lethal control is the most common method of dealing with dingoes. This includes trapping, hunting and poisoning them in huge numbers. But what if there were ways that farmers can not only live alongside dingoes, but thrive with them?

Dingoes are social animals that live in packs with a strict hierarchy, often led by an alpha pair. This structure is crucial for maintaining order and regulating the population. When the alpha pair is killed through lethal control, the rest of the pack can lose its cohesion. Studies have shown that this disruption can lead to younger dingoes becoming more erratic, increasing livestock predation and creating significantly more harm in the long run (Newsome et al., 2001).

Without the stabilising influence of the alpha, these unregulated packs often become more aggressive and less efficient in their hunting, making them a greater threat to livestock (Pople et al., 2012).

But all is not lost. Around the world, farmers have turned to non-lethal alternatives to protect their livestock. In Europe and North America, guardian dogs like the Maremma are used to guard livestock from larger predators like wolves and bears (Coppinger & Coppinger, 2001). Now I'll admit, I love dingoes and have the upmost respect for them. But any animal that can take on a bear or a wolf and live to tell the tale would find a dingo a walk in the park.

I was lucky enough to visit Burraduc Buffalo Farm earlier this year and meet their incredible livestock guardian dogs. They are much bigger than I was expecting!

In Australia, this concept is slowly being adapted to help protect livestock from dingoes. Guardian dogs are trained to live with livestock and form a protective bond, naturally deterring predators without harming them. Recent trials show that Maremmas are effective in keeping dingoes at bay, with minimal conflict between the two (Macdonald et al., 2015). Guardian dogs maintain territories around areas where livestock are grazing; through scent marking and patrolling deter and exclude predators from those territories. Guardian dogs detect approaching dingoes and interrupt their hunting behaviour by barking and placing themselves between the predator and livestock. Guardian dogs can charge when a predator approaches livestock; violent confrontations are very uncommon because predators do not want to risk being injured or killed, and over time learn to avoid a guardian dog’s territory.

Burraduc Buffalo Farm - 2024

However, I acknolwedge that gurdian dogs are not a suitable for all properties. Australian farms are unbelievably large and cover huge amounts of land. When you're running a few thousands sheep on 10,000 hectares, dogs simply are not the solution. However, there is a cost effective alternative that has seen great success for thousands of years.

Another practical, cost-effective solution is the use of donkeys. Often overlooked as mere farm animals, donkeys have a natural instinct to protect their herds from predators. Their strong territorial nature and aggressive defense of livestock have made them invaluable on large farms, where fencing or other solutions might not be feasible (Fowler et al., 2019).

For many Australian farmers, especially those managing vast properties, donkeys are a simple but effective way to keep dingoes and other predators away from their herds. The results? a more sustainable approach to managing the balance between agriculture and wildlife. But one of the biggest positives to using guardian donkeys is the fact that they eat the same thing as the animals they are protecting. Unlike gurdian dogs, donkeys are happy to spend their days grazing with the livestock they are protecting. They are longlived animals, with a life span of 30 years or more. Once they are trained, they provide long lasting protection for your livestock.

It is very important to note that not any old donkey can do this job. It is crucial to purchase a donkey that has been trained by an expert to fufill this role. I will leave some links in the descrpition to organisations that offer this service. If you were to introduce an untrained donkey to be used as a gurdian animal, there are reports of them turning on their flock and attacking them.

Interestingly, studies suggest that if dingoes were allowed to roam freely again, they could help regulate kangaroo populations, reducing the need for culling and restoring a more balanced ecosystem (Letnic et al., 2012). Another effective way to reduce the chances of dingoes predating on livestock is to dispose of carcasses. Dingoes have a good smell and can detect rotting carcasses and prey over long distances. Hauling away, burning or deeply burying carcasses reduce attracting dingoes to your livestock. Other attractants include sick, injured or dying livestock, afterbirths and unsexed working dogs.

But the challenges farmers face are real. In the absence of effective government support for non-lethal solutions, many farmers have no choice but to resort to lethal measures to protect their livelihoods. Despite the growing body of research on non-lethal methods, the financial burden of implementing them often outweighs their benefits in the eyes of struggling farmers.

Without sufficient government support, both financially and in terms of resources for non-lethal management, many farmers are reluctant to change their ways. The only government-funded support available is lethal control, further perpetuating the cycle of conflict between dingoes and agriculture.

The key to finding a solution isn’t to fight nature, but to work with it. By allowing dingoes to play their part in the ecosystem—keeping kangaroo populations in check and reducing overgrazing—we can work toward a healthier, more sustainable environment for both farmers and wildlife.

Solutions like guardian dogs, donkeys, and more selective fencing can help farmers reduce the need for lethal control, while still protecting their livelihoods. By working with nature, not against it, we can ensure that both farmers and dingoes can coexist in the long term. It is important to note that there is no "one size fits all" solution for dingo coexistence. Unfortunately, it does not work that way. But neither does lethal control. Dingoes are very rarely targeted with just one method of lethal control and instead face a plethora of potentially fatal outcomes. Instead, farmers need the resources to be able to trial which non lethal managment solution works best for them, their livestock and their property. And that all relies on government support to make that happen.

It’s time we learn how to balance our needs with the needs of the land—working together, not against each other, for a healthier future for all.