Yarramalong Dingo Sanctuary

03/11/2026

30/10/2026

A fed dingo is a dead dingo. We must learn how to coexist with our wild dingoes.

That is the absolute reality of what is happening across Australia today. Whether it is a coastal town in New South Wales, a tourist hub in Queensland, or the remote landscapes of the Kimberleys in Western Australia, the outcome is always the same: when human behaviour fails to adapt, the animals pay the ultimate price.

Wild dingoes aren't invading human spaces. We must learn how to live alongside our native wildlife. If we visit tourist areas or build in their homes.

To protect them, our communities must follow strict, unyielding boundaries:

🔻Do not feed them. No exceptions, no handouts.

🔻Keep your pets well contained. Domestic pets must be secured so they don't attract or cause territory conflicts with wild packs.

🔻Never approach a wild dingo—even for a photo.

🔻Do not encourage them in any way.

What many well-meaning wildlife lovers fail to realise is that constant photography is deeply damaging. When wild dingoes are surrounded by cameras and lenses, it gradually strips away their natural, protective fear of humans. Once that wild boundary is gone, habituation sets in, and it is always the animal that pays with its life

Social media has become incredibly dangerous for wild dingoes. Constantly sharing close-up photos and exact geotagged locations encourages people into their territory. These type of posts serve as a literal roadmap that attracts attention of authorities and land managers who lean on lethal removal rather than structural coexistence

If we visit or build in their homes, we must respect their boundaries, stop tagging their exact locations online, and keep them wild, anonymous, and safe.

Rescue orgs can only act as safety nets for the few. The real battlefield is changing public habits, educating our communities on digital safety, and protecting wild dingoes where they belong, intact, completely anonymous, and respected in the wild.

Let them be wild.

30/10/2026

FACT CHECK TIME!!

An ABC Wimmera interview aired today conducted by "journalist" Angus Verley with John Bennett of the West Wimmera Action Group Inc. (WWAG). It featured a series of extraordinary claims about Wilkerr.

While Bennett is entitled to his opinions, confidence in one's assertions is no substitute for scientific evidence. Equally, serious claims about the credibility of scientific research warrant rigorous scrutiny, particularly when broadcast by the ABC.

1. The "activist" accusation is rather ironic. WWAG is itself an advocacy organisation actively lobbying to influence government policy. Labelling researchers and conservation advocates as "activists" does nothing to invalidate their scientific findings.

2. The supposed political conspiracy doesn't survive a basic examination of the timeline. Wilkerr was nominated for federal threatened species assessment in March 2025, almost 20 months before Victoria's November 2026 election. The nomination was informed by years of scientific research, not speculation about an electoral outcome.

3. Wilkerr is a cross-border population. Dingoes in Victoria and adjoining Ngarkat Conservation Park are genetically connected. Pursuing Commonwealth recognition for a population managed under two conflicting state policies is entirely logical.

4. Six dingoes on a trail camera prove precisely nothing about population viability. Our research cameras have photographed more than six individuals in the one photograph. That doesn't magically make Wilkerr abundant or genetically healthy. A single observation cannot invalidate systematic population modelling.

5. The Ngarkat genetic connection is not some emerging revelation. It was recognised years ago and supported by subsequent genetic research. Additional sampling investigates genetic diversity, relatedness and population structure, not a conveniently manufactured justification for changing South Australian policy.

6. Bennett's assertion that historical lethal control was "balanced" is particularly difficult to reconcile with the evidence. Wilkerr is severely in**ed, genetically isolated and at risk of extinction.

According to official DEECA records obtained through Freedom of Information, 87 Wilkerr dingoes were recorded as killed by the government dogger and through bounty claims in the seven years preceding protection.

That exceeds the subsequent Deakin University/BDDR population estimate of 77 individuals, although the figures represent different time periods and cannot be directly compared as population totals. Nor does the recorded mortality necessarily account for animals killed through poisoning or without a bounty claim.

In a population this genetically compromised, even the loss of one reproductively important individual could have serious demographic and genetic consequences.

Describing poisoning and trapping as "euthanasia" also conveniently sanitises methods associated with considerable animal suffering.

7. Claiming farmers have had no seat at the table ignores documented consultation. Agriculture Victoria and DEECA conducted numerous focus groups involving livestock producers in 2024 & 2025. Where were the equivalent dedicated consultations for researchers, conservation advocates and other concerned community members?

8. The EPBC threatened species assessment is a scientific determination, not a referendum on agricultural preferences. Stakeholders can contribute relevant evidence, but economic interests cannot determine whether a population meets statutory conservation criteria.

And perhaps the greatest contradiction of all?

Bennett insists livestock producers have no desire to eradicate Wilkerr, yet advocates the resumption of lethal control without demonstrating how an already genetically compromised population could sustain further losses.

Intentions do not determine extinction risk. Population biology does.

Livestock predation warrants serious consideration and practical solutions. But dismissing scientific research, misrepresenting population estimates and portraying conservation as a political conspiracy contributes absolutely nothing towards achieving those outcomes.

There is also a legitimate question for ABC Wimmera and Angus Verley about the scrutiny applied to such claims. Journalistic balance does not mean allowing scientific assertions to go unexamined simply because they represent one side of a contentious debate.

If John Bennett and WWAG believe the research is fundamentally flawed, they should identify the methodological errors and present evidence capable of withstanding scientific scrutiny.

Until then, the question remains: How do you propose to keep killing members of a population already at risk of extinction without contributing to its demise?

30/10/2026

Rescuing a wild-born orphan dingo saves a life, but the law turns their genetics into a dead-end for our eccosystem. Here is why Australia's conservation system is broken.

Many people view the dingo as a formed pack. But the biological and behavioural reality is that wild dingoes live in deeply complex, tightly knit family units usually led by a single breeding pair. They hunt together, protect territory together, and look after one another.

In the wild, family structure is everything. If tragedy strikes the parents, older offspring have been known to step in, acting as surrogate protectors and providers to raise their younger siblings or extended family members. Their loyalty to their bloodline is incredibly fierce.

When we poison, trap, and shoot our wild dingoes, the damage cuts far deeper than the loss of individual lives. It doesn't just fracture a family structure in the short term, it completely disrupts future gene pools. Wiping out established wild family lines systematically deletes unique, localised genetic diversity that took thousands of years to adapt to the Australian bush.

This is where Australia falls tragically behind international standards of conservation.

For example

In places like North America, if an apex predator like a coyote is orphaned or injured, licensed wildlife groups rehabilitate them and legally release them right back into the wild to protect the species and ecosystem. But here, our legislation lags decades behind.

We are seeing far too many wild-born orphans coming into care. While rescuing them saves their immediate lives, it keeps them permanently trapped in a broken system where it is completely illegal to release them back into the bush.

Keeping these orphans in captivity is just another systematic way of diluting the wild gene pool, removing resilient bloodlines from the environment forever. They are locked out by a legal framework that prevents them from ever returning to the ecosystems that desperately need them.

While our orphan rescues live safely they cannot mend broken family lines or recover the lost gene pools in the wild. They can never go home.

Every wild born orphan kept in captivity is a genetic dead-end for the wild populations.

The true survival of the species depends entirely on changing the laws and protecting the remaining wild bloodlines.

03/10/2026

𝗧𝗛𝗘 ‘𝗗𝗢𝘀 & 𝗗𝗢𝗡’𝗧𝘀’ 𝗢𝗙 𝗗𝗜𝗡𝗚𝗢 𝗥𝗘𝗦𝗖𝗨𝗘

There is something deeply wrong when the words “dingo rescue” are used as a shield for practices that can put dingoes — and people — at risk.

We are increasingly hearing reports and seeing examples across the dingo rescue community that deserve serious scrutiny. The following reports are not limited to just one 'rescue' organisation but several:

❌️ Rehoming known dangerous dingoes without fully disclosing their history or risks.
❌️ Introducing young pups into groups of adult dingoes with tragic consequences.
❌️ Claiming credit for rescues or rehoming that were actually undertaken by another organisation.
❌️ Publicly opposing conservation breeding while accepting pups from a community where uncontrolled breeding continues year after year.
❌️ Using uncomfortable orphaned pups for clickbait and selfies.
❌️ Placing dingoes together without properly considering compatibility, behaviour and social dynamics.
❌️ Fundraising for orphaned pups while not actually accepting or caring for orphans.

Rescue should never be about numbers, social-media content, reputation, fundraising or claiming ownership of someone else's work.

It should be about the welfare of the dingo and the safety of its human carers — first and foremost.

That means asking:

✔️ Was the dingo properly assessed before rehoming?
✔️ Were its behavioural history and risks honestly disclosed?
✔️ Was the placement genuinely appropriate?
✔️ Were introductions managed by people with appropriate dingo experience?
✔️ Was the organisation transparent about where the dingo came from and who actually rescued it?
✔️ Are breeding and rehoming practices consistent with its publicly stated conservation principles?

If we genuinely care about dingoes, we need consistency, transparency and accountability.
Putting the word “rescue” in an organisation's name does not automatically make everything it does ethical.

Dingoes aren't a commodity.
They aren't content. They aren't a fundraising tool. They are sentient Australian animals whose welfare must come first.

If you are considering adopting a dingo or donating to a rescue organisation, we highly recommend Highlands Dingo Rescue Ltd and / or Perth Dingo Rescue Ltd.

Photo credit: Joshua Prieto Photography

25/09/2026

24/09/2026

Over coming long weekend.. urgent experienced foster call out .. Melbourne area

23/09/2026

Urgent emergency experienced foster needed over the coming long weekend. Melbourne area

13/07/2026

Important information that sometimes needs resharing as newby “experts” enter the space.

-Liver & Pancreatic function of Dingoes, and Why They Require a Raw Diet-

Dingoes are very different from domestic dogs. You may already know some of their behavioural differences or their physiological differences. But did you know that dingoes are also very different from domestic dogs in their nutritional requirements? Indeed, dingoes are even unique from other wild canids when it comes to nutrition. For today, we're taking a look at these:
1) Liver function / Fat metabolism
2) Pancreatic Amylase / Pancreas function

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🐺 LIVER FUNCTION & FAT METABOLISM:
Domestic dogs require different quantities of fatty acids in their diet than dingoes do. Both domestic dogs and grey wolves convert saturated and monounsaturated fats into energy, their metabolism and liver processes fats efficiently. 🏃In a dog's or wolf's diet, fats are essential for the health of arteries, cell membranes, omega-6 to omega-3 balancing, the absorption of fat-soluble vitamins, thermoregulation and more.

🐾Dingoes on the other hand, have retained their primitive canid liver function and metabolism, which is adapted for the unique Australian climate and environment.🐾
Dingoes cannot efficiently metabolise saturated or monounsaturated fats, they require only very small quantities for optimal bodily functions.
Consuming the same quantities of fats as a domestic dog can cause increased fats in a dingo's liver, fatty liver disease, thyroid function issues, pancreatitis, immune system and mineral imbalances.

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🍖 PANCREATIC AMYLASE
Pancreatic amylase is a digestive enzyme for digesting carbohydrates. In humans, carbohydrate digestion begins with salivary amylase. Later, pancreatic amylase is released into the small intestine to digest carbs and begin the production of glucose.

🌏Whilst neither wolves, dogs or dingoes produce salivary amylase at all, they do have varying copies of the AMY2B gene (pancreatic amylase). Wolves and dingoes have 2 copies of this gene, while domestic dogs have between 5-20.
This means that these canids can digest small amounts of carbohydrates as a survival mechanism when meat is scarce.

🐺But what about Dingoes?
Dingoes, like wolves, lack adequate enough AMY2B gene coding to be able to safely handle starchy carbohydrates (grains, root vegetables -such as carrots, pumpkin, sweet potato- most processed foods).
The tropic dingo ecotype may possess more copies of the gene, which may explain why they are able to consume more fruits. There is insufficient data on the precise nutritional differences between the dingo ecotypes at present.

Dingoes fed high fat, high carb diets have around half the life expectancy of a dingo fed a species-appropriate diet. They may also be more prone to bouts of pancreatitis and liver complications.

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🏥 A MAJOR CONCERN 🏥
A dingo fed a domestic dog's diet will show increased lipase levels in their blood results. Whilst we are so grateful to all the studying and work veterinarians do, unfortunately vets receive little nutritional training (and it is not dingo specific).
Low-protein diets are one of the most frequent recommendations to dingoes who are showing increased fats in their liver and/or pancreatitis.

🍚The problem with low-protein dry food diets: They're extremely high-carb. And as you've just learned, dingoes cannot digest starchy carbs.

Sadly, it is very common to hear of dingoes with increased fats being put on a low-protein dry diet, only to end up with pancreatic issues as they cannot digest these carb-laden foods.

The protein is not the main problem in these cases. The problem is a combination of the poor quality of the proteins in a processed diet, along with the high fat content and these fats having become rancid or oxidised. Combine this with the dingo's unique digestive system and nutrient requirements... and you can hopefully understand why issues occur, despite the best of intentions.

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🐺🍖 SPECIES-APPROPRIATE DIETS FOR DINGOES:
We advocate and encourage a properly balanced raw diet of lean proteins, digestible bones and organ meats. Following the Prey Model Raw (PMR) ratios of 80/10/10:
80% muscle meats, 10% digestible bones, 5% liver, 5% other organs meats.
How much to feed? Around 2-3% of your dingo's ideal adult weight is a good starting point, you can increase or decrease the amount fed as you observe your dingo.
Variety and rotation are important in a raw diet. Some of the best lean proteins to feed your dingo include: Kangaroo, Rabbit, Venison, Camel, Goat and Turkey. With Beef and Chicken in moderation. Avoid pork and lamb.

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Transition Guide for Switching Your Dingoes to a Raw Diet: https://www.facebook.com/canineascension/photos/a.1942786069313524.1073741836.1796928007232665/1942795499312581/?type=3&theater

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Raw-Feeding For Dingo Puppies: https://www.facebook.com/canineascension/photos/a.1942786069313524.1073741836.1796928007232665/1947108542214610/?type=3&theater

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References:
-AMY2B genome sequencing study: http://journals.plos.org/plosgenetics/article?id=10.1371/journal.pgen.1004016

- https://www.nature.com/articles/hdy201648

Behavioural Ecology of Inland Dingoes: Hunting & Feeding, diet: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/240505670_The_behavioural_ecology_of_dingoes_in_north-western_Australia_III_Hunting_and_Feeding_behaviour_and_diet

-Books:
The Dingo Debate, by Bradley Smith.
Dingo, by Brad Purcell.

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© Canine Ascension

02/03/2026

Many thanks to Highlands Dingo Rescue Ltd. Imo the most important message of the year, every year.

Watching Over the Future: Letting Dingo Pups Remain in the Bush.

With the official start of breeding season, the dingoes here have significantly increased their howling. As the shorter days of autumn unfold, even though we don’t breed, these remarkable animals are responding to seasonal cues.

The heightened howling from established family groups during this time serves as a territorial signal to rival groups or nearby intruders along with increased scent marking they are effectively marking their boundaries. This increase in vocalisation and scent marking, not only establishes strong territorial lines but also ensures a successful breeding season and a safe denning area.

Off spring of family from previous year/years would have already left the group to find a mate and territory of their own with other members staying behind to help raise their new young siblings which will be born between June and August.

♦️Important awareness about the future dingo pups

I'm taking this opportunity to start raising awareness as dingo puppy season approaches. If you come across puppies in the bush, it's important to recognise that they are likely dingo pups rather than abandoned domestic pets. Each year, well-meaning individuals mistakenly capture these puppies, believing they have been abandoned. Once a dingo pup has been removed from the wild it is illegal to release them back to the wild.

It's crucial not to take pups from the bush. The parent dingoes are often nearby, and you may be unaware of their presence, or they could be out hunting. It's common for dingo pups to be left unattended near their den, don’t intervene instead get advice before removing them.

If you suspect that the dingo parents have been killed or have proof of their demise, it's crucial to monitor the area for any remaining family members. Setting up camera traps can be an effective way to assess the situation or setting up sand traps to observe for adult foot prints. If any non breeding adult group members are present (older siblings) male or female will step in to raise the pups. It's not uncommon for these other members to remain elusive, sometimes not appearing on camera traps footage for weeks.

Being patient and avoiding hasty decisions about bringing pups in from the bush is essential. Non-breeding members of the group have been known to successfully raise pups into fully functional dingoes, ensuring their survival and integration into the wild.

Before removing any pups from the bush, please seek advice, unless they are in extremely poor condition, which may indicate they have been orphaned. It's vital to support our future apex predators, as they play an essential role in maintaining a healthy ecosystem that benefits us all.

For guidance and advice please message us. Your cooperation is crucial in ensuring the survival of these future apex predators in the wild.

Let them be wild

Image Bluey - HDR