Dingo wild dogs6/10/2023 ![]() ![]() Wild dogs can act as a reservoir for parasites and diseases that affect livestock, wildlife and domestic pets, including sheep measles, hydatidosis, mange, distemper, hepatitis, parvovirus, Neospora caninum and toxoplasmosis. Weaning occurs at 6 to 8 weeks but the pups remain with the adults until 6 to 12 months of age. Once old enough the pups are taken from the den to kills and to other dens throughout the home range of the adults. This solid food may be carried and regurgitated for the pups by both adults. Small pups are confined to the den, suckled and fed solid food and water brought to them by the adults. Some bitches may breed in their first year but not all do.Īfter a 63 day pregnancy, a litter typically of 4 to 6 pups, is born in a den, such as a hollow log, cave or thick vegetation. With the seasonal nature of food supply it is very rare for two litters to be successfully raised in one year. Aggression between animals is not uncommon and is used to establish or maintain social position. ![]() When individuals meet, facial expressions and body postures are used to communicate dominance or submission. Scents in urine and faeces, marking via scratching or raking the ground, and vocalisations are all used. CommunicationĬohesion within groups and separation between groups is maintained by a variety of communication methods. Resulting multiple domestic livestock losses can be devastating for livestock producers. This behaviour occurs with many predators including wild dogs and foxes. Surplus killing occurs when a predator attacks and either kills or injures a number of prey animals, such as kangaroos or sheep that are excess to the predator's nutritional requirements. Wild dogs may move throughout the day and night but are mostly active at sunrise and sunset and least active during the middle of the day. The shape of the territory is often determined to a large extent by topography and distinguishing features such as mountain spurs or rivers forming boundaries. Movements often follow well defined paths along topographic features. Sheep and goats can be hunted by individuals or small groups working together. ![]() Most preferred prey is hunted by individual dogs but when prey availability changes, wild dogs will form packs to hunt larger prey such as cattle and kangaroos. This explains why some wild dogs are mostly seen as individuals. ![]() Members of a social group meet and separate over time or rely on vocal communication. Individual home ranges vary from 400 to 100,000 ha, averaging about 4000Ha in size in eastern NSW and up to 90,000 ha in dry western environments.Īs could be expected, areas with the greatest food sources and key water points within home ranges are used most frequently and others parts may be rarely visited. Each member of the group occupies a home range which overlaps with those of other wild dogs to various extents. Behaviour Social structure and home ranges Domestic livestock can constitute a portion of the wild dogs' diet in agricultural areas but common prey items include small to medium-sized animals such as wallabies, rabbits, possums, wombats, echidnas, birds, reptiles, rodents and other small mammals. Food habits vary between locations and seasons, for example, wild dogs will eat fruit and plaguing insects when available. Wild dogs mostly eat fresh meat and carrion. Wild dogs live in a wide variety of habitats and prefer areas where human disturbance is limited and where shelter, food and water is abundant. Weights of adult wild dogs generally range from 11 to 25kg for males and 7 to 22kg for females. Wild dogs are predominately golden or yellow but can also be white, black, black and tan, brown, brindle, patchy and any combination of these. The wild dog is highly adaptable and may live successfully in arid to rainforest environments, providing there is an adequate supply of food, water and shelter. Increasingly, wild dogs are found close to towns where they intermingle with local dogs and can become mis-identified as 'strays'. Wild dogs are found across NSW, however, the eastern ranges, the coastal hinterland and tablelands have the highest populations. Wild dogs were first introduced to Australia approximately 3,500 to 4,000 years ago, probably by Asian seafarers who landed regularly on northern Australia. Wild dogs are a 'declared pest animal' under the Local Land Services Act 2013 and are defined as: 'any dog, including a dingo, that is, or has become wild, but excludes any dog kept in accordance with the Companion Animals Act 1998, the Exhibited Animals Protection Act 1986, or the Animal Research Act 1985 or any legislation made in replacement of any of those Acts'. ![]()
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