Is the Dingo a true Aussie specie? Managing the Dingo (Canis lupus dingo): Conflict between the anthropogenic and environmental factors

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Is the Dingo a true Aussie specie? Managing the Dingo (Canis lupus dingo): Conflict between the anthropogenic and environmental factors

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According to Aboriginal myths and legends, the dingo (Canis lupus dingo) would have evolved in Australia from the "Dreaming" - the creation period - and have always been a highly estimated and valued companion. As a consequence of these oral memories and scarce testimonies of the past, for many years it was believed that the Aboriginal people brought Dingoes to Australia. However, this theory has now largely been discarded and most researchers believe that Asian seafarers who traded with the northern Aborigines, actually transported Dingoes from mainland Asia, through South-East Asia, to Australia and other parts of the Pacific, during their travels over the last 5000 years. The oldest fossil records of dingoes in South East Asia date back to 5,500 years and fossil evidence found in Australia suggest an arrival on the continent between 3000 and 4000 years ago. More accurate and reliable evidence came in 2004 from the DNA analysis of 211 dingoes from all over Australia, 676 dogs from other continents, 38 Eurasian wolves and 19 pre-European archaeological samples from Polynesia .

Introduction.
The Australian evolutionary process.
Description of Dingoes.
1. The role of Dingoes in the extinction of the Thylacine.
2. The biological traits of the Dingoes.
3. Adam O'Neill's explanation in his book Living with the Dingo.
The most characteristic feature of Australian animals.
1. Low rate of reproduction.
Corbett's view.
The Fraser Island Dingoes.
The strategies tested to view some of tthe Dingoes in their natural environment.
An analysis of the 'Be-Dingo Smart' program.
Conclusion.
Bibliography.

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[...] It is not so much the dingo as an individual but the way in which it has evolved in a particular habitat for 4000 years, and the role it has now shouldered in the preservation of its general equilibrium that is so critical for us to understand[11]. Four millenniums could seem to be a short period to abide by the rules of an environment that has evolved for millions of years. Yet, they are many examples of species undergoing extremely brief genetic adaptations. [...]

[...] Unlike other introduced species, dingoes have developed a behavioural pattern which is specific to the Australian environment and differs from the habits displayed by other dingoes around the world. The second explanation results from a mesopredator release effect - a scientific term applied to a process whereby the superior predator is removed, allowing lower predators to expand their territories (Corbett, 1995). Following the disruption of social structures amongst dingoes, the work of scent marking against inferior predators is lost and can take a long time before it is renewed by young dingoes. [...]

[...] For these reasons, even today many conservationists still view the dingo as a mere feral pest[6], newly arrived in an ancient environment and endangering other species as well as human beings. Is this approach correct? Or after 4000 years, should the dingo be considered a native Australian animal? The answer seems to lie in its relation to the ecosystem. Indeed, if the span of time since his arrival has been long enough for dingoes to reach equilibrium in the Australian ecosystem, most of its traits should be similar to those displayed by other native species, and its role should now have become essential to maintain a subtle balance and preserve the biodiversity of the continent. [...]

[...] Internet Website - www.dingo.livingin-australia.com Savolainen, P., et al A Detailed Picture of the Origin of the Australian Dingo, Obtained from the Study of Mitochondrial DNA, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. (www.pnas.org). O'Neill, Adam Living with the Dingo. Envirobook, Annandale. Environmental Protection Agency Fraser Island Dingo Management Strategy. Queensland Government. Ibid. For example, see Dr Steve Van Dyke's declaration in media that dingoes should be eradicated like other pest, Cited in O'Neill, Adam Living with the Dingo. Envirobook, Annandale. [...]

[...] Corbett, L The Dingo in Australia and in Asia. JB Books, Adelaide. Corbett, L., Fleming, P. Harden R., and Thomson P Managing the Impact of Dingoes And Other Wild Dogs. Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry, Bureau of Rural Sciences, Canberra. Dickman, C. R., Lunney, D A symposium on the dingo. Mosman, Royal Zoological Society of N.S.W. Environmental Protection Agency Fraser Island Dingo Management Strategy. Queensland Government. Internet Website - www.dingo.livingin-australia.com O'Neill, Adam Living with the Dingo. Envirobook, Annandale. Paddle, Robert The Last Tasmanian Tiger : The History and Extinction of the Thylacine. [...]

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