Letter from Douglas Shire biosecurity team leader to Douglas Shire resident re dingo death:

Over the last several months Douglas Shire Council had received numerous reports / complaints of Dingos within the Port Douglas township area.

The reports of encounters with one particular Dingo have come from the Port Douglas police, DSC Local Laws and DSC council employees, tourist resorts and local residents and have ranged from the problem animal stalking numerous residents on a number of occasions, attacking domestic dogs and scavenging food scraps from within Port Douglas resorts.

Unfortunately, once the animal had shown increasingly dangerous behavioural signs it became an unacceptable public safety risk.

To clarify regarding recent enquires from the public, on 19/09/23  the problem Port Douglas dingo/wild dog was trapped and humanely euthanized by a trained, competent authorised officer under the Biosecurity Act, in response to an escalation in negative interactions from this animal.

To bring into perspective the escalation of events that brought Douglas council to act in this situation were as follows,

• stalking of residents including children to which the animal could not be deterred and even on one occasion when a car had to be driven in between the Dingo and the person it was stalking.
• Chasing residents on bikes, stalking DSC employees at the Port Douglas depot when they arrived for work in the early mornings.
• Attacking domestic dogs on numerous occasions at different locations throughout the area.
• Scavenging food and stalking guests at Port Douglas resorts on an almost nightly basis.

Dingoes have the potential to be dangerous to humans and the risk of dangerous behaviour is greatly increased when they have become familiar and habituated to humans through feeding or other encouragement.

It generally is never the animals fault but interference and encroachment onto their natural environment from people that has changed their behaviour that pushes the situation to an unacceptable risk to which we must act.

Douglas Shire Council Officers had been working closely with Land Protection Officer’s from the Department of Agriculture and Fisheries to resolve this matter and will not be engaging in any further trapping activities in Port Douglas and consider the situation finalised.

Dingo death reactions

Newsport also approached Councillor Abigail Noli for her reaction to the dingo death.

“The killing of the dingo distresses me,” Ms Noli told Newsport.

“As a Councillor I wanted the opportunity, at a minimum, to try and balance public safety and co-habiting with dingos and their behaviour.  

“Was it possible to try other techniques or strategies before a trap was used, was it really the only way forward?

“I value immensely the safety of our communities and pets but question such an extreme and fast response. Could other steps have been taken first?”

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- Letter from anonymous Newsport reader

Absolutely disgusting that humans approach on the dingos home and now the dingos are killed.

Some human beings are the nastiest animals alive yet we don't kill them we put them in jail and pay to keep them alive, what a waste of time and money.  Also waste of good land that could have houses for law abiding humans to live in.

Something extremely wrong with this.  

Humans kill for fun or because they want to hurt someone.  Majority of animals, excluding cats, kill for food.

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- Letter from Newsport reader Roni Bancroft

How many innocent animals have to die, to appease human greed in taking over every bit of land available for their own use?

Could not some areas have been made a safe haven and let the runners go elsewhere.

We have to co-habitat with animals now, as we are taking all their land. We have to set some plans into action to live side by side.

How many animals have to die, so one human, might not, get bitten?

They have a right to live, without being murdered, just because humans want access to every piece of land they set their eyes on.

We did the same with our original treatment, with the indigenous people and now we are destroying all indigenous wildlife, destroying all their homes, so we can live a life of comfort.