Is the dingo friend or foe?

Another dingo attack on Fraser Island – the flashpoint for dingo management issues – has highlighted our complex relationship with these animals once again, writes Deakin University's new research recruit, Dr Euan Ritchie on the The Conversation website.

Dr Ritchie, from the Centre for Integrative Ecology, then poses the question: but when we shoot and trap dingos, do we really know what we’re doing?

Along with koalas and kangaroos, the dingo is one of Australia’s most recognisable and iconic species, and yet it suffers from an identity crisis that threatens its continued survival in the wild.

As a top predator, the dingo is not alone in being threatened with extinction.

Across the globe, species such as wolves, bears, mountain lions and tigers are walking a knife’s edge between survival and extinction.

Shark populations, the top predators of our oceans, have been reduced by more than 90%.

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• Centre for Integrative Ecology