Port Douglas dingo captured and euthanised after becoming 'unacceptable public safety risk'

The only traffic on the back road from the Country Club down past the Council water treatment plant to what is now the turn off to Marano’s fuel depot, were the workers from the Mirage golf course and garden crew.

Nearly 35 years later I find myself back working in the same area.

I was pleased to see that the little dingo family has managed to survive the onslaught of the development that has occurred around them, but I was horrified to see the amount of traffic that they now have to contend with. 

Whether it be from runners, dog walkers, bike riders, scooters and tourists driving past doing at least 60km in a 15km zone.

On (September 15) I was appalled to be told by some Council staff that they were setting a (dingo) trap opposite our work area as there had been a number of complaints from the public.

I see some of these dingoes on a daily basis and the only thing I can see them doing wrong is just being there and going about their business.

People are complaining because they see them and have a Fraser Island mentality about dingoes.

There is a young dingo at the moment who is a little bit cheeky and hasn’t honed his fear skills yet that I feel will fall victim to this trapping practice.

People have asked me if they (local dingoes) will be relocated and I have to tell them that, that would be very unlikely.

Perhaps if Council intends to go ahead with this brutal solution they could make it public what happens to the animals?

My suggestion would be to stop the public using the track, hence limiting the potential for human, dingo contact.

Regards,

Sue Bingley

*This letter was also sent to Douglas Shire Council and subsequently published on Newsport with the permission from the author.

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IMPORTANT FOOTNOTE

Just days after receiving this letter to the editor Newsport became aware a local Port Douglas dingo had been possibly captured, and later euthanised in the Sheraton Mirage area.

Upon further investigation Newsport was able to confirm that a dingo had indeed been killed.

We followed this up by contacting Douglas Shire Council for further information. Newsport sent a number of questions direct to Mayor Michael Kerr about this incident however we received responses from a ‘spokesperson’ only.

Questions to Council

Newsport: Can Council confirm that they shot and killed a dingo in past days behind Sheraton Country Club?

Douglas Shire Council: The dingo was trapped and humanely euthanized by a trained, competent authorised officer under the Biosecurity Act.

Newsport: If yes, what was Council's reason and rationale for this killing?

Douglas Shire Council: Over several months, Council has received complaints of the dingo stalking residents, attacking domestic dogs and scavenging food scraps from within Port Douglas resorts. The dingo had become an unacceptable public safety risk.

Newsport: Can Council also confirm/ deny that it has been setting dingo traps around the Douglas shire? if so, why has this been taking place and what is the purpose of this ?

Douglas Shire Council: Council had been setting traps in an attempt to capture the dingo.

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What do you think - should the dingo have been euthanised?

*The death of the dingo raises a poignant question - why couldn't it have been re-located instead of being killed? Newsport understands, legislatively they can't be relocated because the very nature of them being territorial means that a seperate pack would likely have harmed/injured it.