The Dingo Debate: Origins, Behaviour and ConservationBradley Smith The Dingo Debate explores the intriguing and relatively unknown story of Australia’s most controversial animal – the dingo. Throughout its existence, the dingo has been shaped by its interactions with human societies. With this as a central theme, the book traces the story of the dingo from its beginnings as a semi-domesticated wild dog in South-east Asia, to its current status as a wild Australian native animal under threat of extinction. It describes how dingoes made their way to Australia, their subsequent relationship with Indigenous Australians, their successful adaption to the Australian landscape and their constant battle against the agricultural industry. During these events, the dingo has demonstrated an unparalleled intelligence and adaptable nature seen in few species. The book concludes with a discussion of what the future of the dingo in Australia might look like, what we can learn from our past relationship with dingoes and how this can help to allow a peaceful co-existence. The Dingo Debate reveals the real dingo beneath the popular stereotypes, providing an account of the dingo’s behaviour, ecology, impacts and management according to scientific and scholarly evidence rather than hearsay. This book will appeal to anyone with an interest in Australian natural history, wild canids, and the relationship between humans and carnivores. |
Contents
The origin and ancestry of the dingo | |
The role of dingoes in Indigenous Australian lifestyle culture and spirituality | |
attacks on livestock | |
attacks on humans | |
the science of studying dingoes | |
Other editions - View all
Common terms and phrases
Aboriginal abundance activity aggression Allen Animal Behaviour Science Animal Cognition apex predators Appleby Applied Animal Behaviour areas Australian dingo baiting biology Bradley Smith canine Canis familiaris Canis lupus dingo captive dingoes chapter coat colour cognitive Corbett LK Darren depredation dingo conservation dingo fence dingo owners dingo populations dogs and dingoes domestic dogs ecology enclosure environment example extinction female fence foxes and cats Fraser Island genetic habitat haplotype home range howling human hunting hybridisation hybrids impact Indigenous Australians interactions Journal kangaroos keep dingoes killed lethal control livestock macropods male mammals mesopredators methods Miklósi mtDNA native Newsome AE nonlethal northwestern observed organisations pet dingoes potential prey puppies pure dingoes Queensland relationship reported role samples scientists sheep social Source South Wales Southeast species strategies studies suggested Sydney territory Thomson PC thylacine traits trap vocalisations Western Australia wild canids wild dingoes wild dogs Wildlife Research wolf wolves