Please don’t feed the dingoes

Published on 14 December 2022

MidCoast Council is reminding the community, and visitors to the Hawks Nest area, to refrain from feeding or interacting with the dingoes these holidays.

When dingoes are fed by humans, they lose their natural shyness and fear of people. Learning to take food from people changes the way they forage and can lead to them to be reliant on handouts.

“Dingoes can quickly become highly territorial and exhibit increased aggression towards domestic pets and people,” said Gerard Tuckerman, MidCoast Council’s Manager Natural Systems.

"It's imperative that we have the support of the community in practicing dingo-safe behaviours and sharing the message to not approach, encourage, leave food rubbish behind or feed the dingoes,” he added.

Hawks Nest/Tea Gardens and Seal Rocks are home to a wild dingo population. Dingoes have environmental and Aboriginal cultural values and observing free-living dingoes can be a positive experience for many people.

“Council is committed to help keep our community dingo-safe,” said Gerard.

Council has developed a Dingo / Wild Dog Management Procedure for the Hawks Nest area that will help manage dingoes in residential areas and Council-managed spaces. It is based on a risk management model that has been successful on K’Gari (Fraser Island) in Queensland.

Council will continue to work with the NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service, tourist park operators and the community. Research by dingo experts from the University of NSW and Taronga Conservation Society helps to inform Council’s dingo management programs and activities.

Signs have been installed to encourage dingo-safe practices in the Tea Gardens and Hawks Nest area, and a compliance approach has been adopted. This approach incorporates education, warnings and finally, enforcement.

Council has an online reporting form for members of the public to share information about interactions and incidents with dingoes. People overwhelmingly respect the dingoes at Hawks Nest and enjoy their presence. We need everyone to play it smart and avoid the temptation to feed these wild animals. We will have no choice but for our Rangers to issue penalty notices to people caught feeding dingoes.

“Dingoes are expert hunters, but because they’re naturally lean, people think they’re undernourished. They’re not meant to look like a domestic pet and they are highly capable of looking after themselves. Education is key. We need the community and visitors to the area to understand how important it is to respect these animals and never feed or encourage them.”

“Ultimately, it’s what’s best for dingoes and best for people too,” added Gerard.

For further information on the dingo management procedure, visit Council's website www.midcoast.nsw.gov.au/dingomanagement.