Aussies, tell me about the dingo

Originally posted by r-c-e
There's quite a few people in .au with dingo / half dingo pups. No idea why they aren't exported though. Probably due to the fact that they can be quite psychopathic.

Originally posted by wdforty
I've lived in AU my whole life and the only place I've seen a Dingo is at the zoo. But I'm sure if you raised them properly they'd be great pets!

Originally posted by The Other Steve
I'm not sure that there is such a thing as a pure bred dingo because that would imply that the dingos were a distinct and separate breed to your ordinary dog.

I think I read somewhere recently where DNA testing has shown that the dingo is actually descended from some domestic dogs that came across from Asia many thousands of years ago.

Originally posted by r-c-e
There's quite a few people in .au with dingo / half dingo pups. No idea why they aren't exported though. Probably due to the fact that they can be quite psychopathic.

Dingoes and closely resemble dogs, but full domestication of the dingo has proved difficult. "As a pet it is generally more independent-minded than other dogs," the researchers wrote.

Dingo remains date back about 3,500 years and no dingoes were found on Tasmania, which separated from the rest of Australia about 12,000 years ago, the researchers noted.

And there is no way for a large animal to have reached Australia from anywhere else without help from people, they added.

"The dingo ancestors were therefore most probably introduced to Australia with the aid of humans traveling in boats," they wrote.

The dingo is one of about a dozen animals that were introduced to the continent of Australia by English settlers. These animals have mostly been very bad for Australia's ecology, and many of Australia's native animals are in danger of becoming extinct, or are already extinct.

The dingo is nothing more than a pet dog that has returned to the wild. Australians refer to these introduced animals as "ferals."


How many dogs and cats were there in Australia 500 years ago?
None.

Some animals were brought by the settlers on purpose, such as rabbits to hunt, foxes for the fox-hunt, deer and goats to eat, and dogs and cats as pets. Others, like rats and mice, snuck over to Australia as hideaways on the boats. But only one has proved to fit into Australia's eco-system without causing any harm at all.

Very cute - but VERY destructive!

What "feral" animal has not caused any troubles in Australia?
The camel.

Dingos have been so vicious in attacking Australia's indigenous animals, like kangaroos, wallabies and koalas, that the country erected a fence thousands of miles long to keep the dingos from continuing the slaughter. The government also pays people who bring in proof that they have killed a dingo.

But most of the problems with "feral" animals continue to exist. Goats and deer eat the grass that kangaroos need, and their hooves cause erosion of the soil. Wild pigs destroy many native plants. Rabbits, rats and mice have grown in populations to epidemic proportions.

Only the camel creates no problems in Australia. Its padded feet do not erode the soil, and they find their food by browsing the trees, leaving the grass to the kangaroos and other marsupials. They can go without water for extended periods, and the hump of fat on their back allows them to exist when food is scarce.


The health and strength of the camel population in Australia is now better than anywhere else in the world. It is too bad that this sort of success story is the exception to the rule: Men should not fool with Mother Nature.

Originally posted by PissFunny
it is illegal to own a dingo or a dingo cross breed. (unless you are a licensed wildlife park etc)

Dingos given dog status in NSW
Wednesday, 25 November 1998

Dingos have been granted the same status as other dogs by the NSW parliament, giving householders the right to keep them legally as pets for the first time.

Originally posted by CDSmith
Looks like there are in fact "purebred dingos" being offered by breeders now. Not sure if any in Canada are doing so, but there very well could be. I've also seen some articles on something called an "Australian herding dog" of which looked like pretty nice dogs too. Not too huge, but still big enough to be considered "not a dog for wimps". ha ha

Originally posted by bhutocracy
gotta be careful of those, they are bred to be cattle dogs and as such are very nippy - they'll nip people on the ankles and what not especially when cooped up on a normal quarter acre block - they're meant to be on farms.

Originally posted by CDSmith
There are camels in Australia? I knew there was some great camel toe there, but camels too? I can't recall if I ever learned that back in grade school.


:D

Originally posted by The Other Steve
Don't laugh but we export camels to many Arab countries .

Originally posted by CDSmith
I've noticed you export camel toe over to Canada sometimes too.

Originally posted by The Other Steve
Don't laugh but we export camels to many Arab countries .