Managing native animals
Wild dogs
The dingo came from southern Asia and is thought to have been introduced to Australia by Asian seafarers 3000-4000 years ago – although recent genetic research published in the Proceedings of the Royal Society B (2011) indicates it may have reached Australia earlier via southern China as much as18,500 years ago.
Since then the Dingo has become a part of Australian ecology and holds important cultural significance for Aboriginal people.
Consequently, Outside of the Dog Fence, dingoes/wild dogs are neither specifically protected or declared but are acknowledged for the valuable ecological role they play in the environment.
Stable wild dog populations are believed to regulate the numbers of kangaroos, foxes and cats. This offers benefits for land condition and biodiversity.
Wild dogs can also represent a serious pest to the cattle industry by killing and maiming calves and are a serious threat to the pastoral industry south of the Dog Fence; head to our Wild dog management page for information on the management approaches that are in place on both sides of the Dog Fence.
The term ‘wild dog’ refers to dingoes (Canis lupus dingo), domestic dogs that are wild-living (Canis lupus familiaris) and their hybrids.
Kangaroos
Abundant kangaroo species in the South Australian Arid Lands region are managed within the Department of Environment, Water and Natural Resources’ Kangaroo Management Program. This program administers the sustainable commercial harvest of kangaroos in South Australia. Surveys are conducted to assess population trends and inform quota decisions. Licensed Kangaroo Field Processors (shooters) can harvest kangaroos, under permit, where they have permission to operate on the land. This program allows landowners to manage the kangaroo component of total grazing pressure on their land.