Canis Lupus Dingo Research Articles

Genetic Diversity of the Australian Dingo ("Canis Lupus Dingo")

Genetic Diversity of the Australian Dingo ("Canis Lupus Dingo")

The propensity of spotted-tailed quolls (Dasyurus maculatus) to encounter and consume non-toxic meat baits in a simulated canid-control program

Using a biomarker, we assessed the propensity of spotted-tailed quolls (Dasyurus maculatus) to encounter and consume non-toxic meat baits, ordinarily laced with the poison 1080 (sodium monofluoroacetate) and deployed for control of wild dogs (Canis lupus dingo, Canis familiaris and hybrids of the two) in southern Australia. In the first experiment, 60 unpoisoned meat baits injected with Rhodamine B were placed on the surface of the ground at 250-m intervals along two separate transects crossing an open woodland study area. One week after placement, a range of animals, including quolls, had removed all baits. Microscopic assay of whisker samples collected from live-captured quolls later revealed that 6 of 10 (60%) animals were positive for the biomarker, indicating that they had encountered and consumed baits. In the second experiment, conducted at the same site one year later, 150 similarly prepared meat baits were delivered aerially from a helicopter along the same transects, at a rate of one bait every 100 m. Eight of 17 quolls (47%) were found to have encountered and consumed at least one and up to five baits. Combined with previous studies, our results reaffirm that surface or aerial baiting operations for wild dogs may place local quoll populations at risk. However, further research is necessary to establish the relationship between this risk and actual mortality levels during such baiting operations since there are a number of factors that may influence the toxicity of baits for spotted-tailed quolls in a field situation as well as the danger those baits may pose.

Urban Dingoes (Canis lupus dingo and Hybrids) and Human Hydatid Disease (Echinococcus granulosus) in Queensland, Australia

Author(s): Allen, Ben | Abstract: Urban dingoes are known to occur along most of the Australian eastern seaboard but are particularly common in Queensland coastal cities and towns. Urban dingoes cause significant damage to domestic pets and livestock and present four serious threats to human health and safety: attacks on humans, attacks on domestic animals, zoonotic disease transmission to humans, and the psychological and emotional trauma to affected residents. I have begun to monitor urban dingoes in three metropolitan and regional Queensland coastal cities using GPS datalogging collars to determine habitat use by dingoes in urban communities, assess their reliance on bushland areas, and evaluate their potential role in the epidemiology of zoonotic diseases, including human hydatid disease (caused by the parasitic tapeworm Echinococcus granulosus). Similar to urban predators on other continents (e.g., red foxes and coyotes), I found urban dingoes to have smaller home ranges than their rural counterparts, exhibit flexible habitat requirements in a resource-rich urban environment, and potentially have a pivotal role in the transmission of E. granulosus to humans in built-up areas. Some challenges of urban predator and zoonotic disease management are discussed.

The mammals of Croker Island, Northern Territory, Australia.

This is a report on the mammals found in April 2001 during a brief terrestial vertebrate fauna survey on previously unsurveyed Croker Island which is 3 km offshore from the Cobourg Peninusula. Seven mammals were recorded but only 3 were native. These were black flying -fox (Pteropus alecto), grassland melomys (Melomys burtoni) and the dingo (Canis lupus dingo). The remaining 4 species were domestic and feral animals (horse, cat, cattle and pig).

Complex interactions among mammalian carnivores in Australia, and their implications for wildlife management

Mammalian carnivore populations are often intensively managed, either because the carnivore in question is endangered, or because it is viewed as a pest and is subjected to control measures, or both. Most management programmes treat carnivore species in isolation. However, there is a large and emerging body of evidence to demonstrate that populations of different carnivores interact with each other in a variety of complex ways. Thus, the removal or introduction of predators to or from a system can often affect other species in ways that are difficult to predict. Wildlife managers must consider such interactions when planning predator control programmes. Integrated predator control will require a greater understanding of the complex relationships between species. In many parts of the world, sympatric species of carnivores have coexisted over an evolutionary time scale so that niche differentiation has occurred, and competition is difficult to observe. Australia has experienced numerous introductions during the past 200 years, including those of the red fox (Vulpes vulpes) and the feral cat (Felis catus). These species now exist in sympatry with native mammalian predators, providing ecologists with the opportunity to study their interactions without the confounding effects of coevolution. Despite an increasing body of observational evidence for complex interactions among native and introduced predators in Australia, few studies have attempted to clarify these relationships experimentally, and the interactions remain largely unacknowledged. A greater understanding of these interactions would provide ecologists and wildlife managers world-wide with the ability to construct robust predictive models of carnivore communities, and to identify their broader effects on ecosystem functioning. We suggest that future research should focus on controlled and replicated predator removal or addition experiments. The dingo (Canis lupus dingo), as a likely keystone species, should be a particular focus of attention.

Determining the age of adult wild dogs (Canis lupus dingo, C. l. domesticus and their hybrids). I. Pulp cavity:tooth width ratios

In order to determine the age of adult wild dogs, we compared two methods (that of Thomson and Rose (TR method) and that of Knowlton and Whittemore (KW method)) of measuring and calculating pulp cavity : tooth width ratios on upper and lower canine teeth from 68 mixed-sex, known-age wild dogs of 9 months to 13 years of age reared at two localities. Although significant relationships (P = 0.0001) were found between age and pulp cavity ratios by both methods, the TR ratio calculation and measurement showed heteroscedasity in error variance whereas the KW ratios had a more stable error variance and were normally distributed. The KW method also found significant differences between pulp cavity ratios between teeth of the upper and lower jaws (P < 0.0001) and sex (P = 0.01) but not geographic origin (P = 0.1). Regressions and formulae for fitted curves are presented separately for male and female wild dogs. Males show greater variability in pulp cavity decrements with age than do females, suggesting a physiological difference between the sexes. We conclude that the KW method of using pulp cavity as a proportion of tooth width, measured 15 mm from the root tip and averaged over both upper canines, is the more accurate method of estimating the age of adult wild dogs.

Evaluation of the tranquilliser trap device (TTD) for improving the humaneness of dingo trapping

AbstractPredation of sheep and cattle by the dingo (Canis lupus dingo) is implicated in significant stock losses throughout much of mainland Australia. Leg-hold traps are commonly used for dingo control and ways are sought to improve the humaneness of these devices. We evaluated the performance of the tranquilliser trap device (TTD) attached to Victor Soft-Catch®traps for their ability to deliver a sedative and anxiolytic drug to trapped dingoes. A trapping programme was conducted in south-west Queensland where traps were set alternatively with a TTD containing either 800 mg of diazepam (drug TTD) or a placebo (placebo TTD). All TTDs included 20 mg of the bait marker iophenoxic acid (IPA) to ascertain dosing success. Each trap was fitted with an activity-monitoring data logger that recorded time of capture and subsequent dingo activity. In 41 out of 48 (85.4%) captures the TTD was ruptured and released its contents. No elevation in serum iodine levels above I mg ml-1resulting from the ingestion of IPA occurred in 8 out of 36 (22.2%) captures, which suggests a higher rate of dosage failure. Dingo activity was highest in both groups immediately after capture, but declined after the first hour in each. The activity of dingoes that accepted a drug TTD was significantly reduced compared to those that took the placebo. However, tooth and limb damage scores did not differ significantly between the drug and placebo group. Much of the physical trauma may have occurred within the first hour of capture when activity was intense and before drug onset in the TTD drug group. The use of TTDs containing sedative and anxiolytic drugs has the potential to reduce anxiety and distress associated with prolonged captivity, but the delivery of a lethal agent that is rapidly acting and humane may result in better welfare outcomes.

Potential impact of aerial baiting for wild dogs on a population of spotted-tailed quolls (Dasyurus maculatus)

The spotted-tailed quoll (Dasyurus maculatus) is a threatened marsupial that inhabits forests in eastern Australia. In many of these forests the species is sympatric with populations of wild dogs (Canis lupus dingo, Canis familiaris and hybrids of the two), which are subject to poison-baiting programs. Many of these programs involve dropping meat baits injected with 6 mg of 1080 from helicopters. To date, the effect of this method on populations of spotted-tailed quolls has not been quantified. We carried out a simulated aerial baiting program using meat baits injected with a non-toxic baitmarker, Rhodamine B, which is laid down in the vibrissae of mammals ingesting baits. Of the 16 spotted-tailed quolls subsequently captured, 10 had Rhodamine B in their vibrissae. The potential impact that this level of bait uptake might have on a population of quolls is discussed.

When wildlife tourism goes wrong: a case study of stakeholder and management issues regarding Dingoes on Fraser Island, Australia

Images on brochures, web pages and postcards lead to an expectation by tourists and visitors that interaction with Dingoes ( Canis lupus Dingo) will be part of their Fraser Island experience. Yet, as the number of tourists to the island increase, so do the reports of Dingo attacks. The first recorded death from such an attack on Fraser Island occurred in April 2001, and was immediately followed by a government-ordered cull of Dingoes. This paper explores issues surrounding both this decision and the management strategies implemented afterwards. Based on interviews with a variety of stakeholders, many conflicting perspectives on human–wildlife interaction as a component of tourism are identified. The conclusion is drawn that while strategies for managing Dingoes are essential, if such attacks are a consequence of humans feeding wildlife and resultant wildlife habituation, then strategies for managing people are also necessary for this example of wildlife tourism to be both successful and sustainable.

Controlling introduced predators in the Gibson Desert of Western Australia

Three introduced predators, the dingo ( Canis lupus dingo), the fox ( Vulpes vulpes) and the feral cat ( Felis catus) are widespread throughout the arid interior of Western Australia. While the dingo has been present for an estimated 3500–4000 years, the fox and the feral cat are relatively recent arrivals and have been implicated in the modern decline and in some cases extinction of arid zone fauna, especially medium size mammals. This paper reports on a long-term, large-scale project aimed at developing control strategies for these introduced predators. Broad area control of foxes and dingoes in the Gibson Desert using 40–60 g dried meat baits impregnated with the poison sodium monofluoroacetate (1080) and delivered by aircraft at a density of 5 baits km −2 proved to be highly effective. Following a single aerial baiting of some 1600 km 2, foxes and dingoes were virtually eradicated from a core area for up to 15 months, but feral cats appeared to increase in abundance. Two aerial baitings (each 400 km 2) carried out during periods of below average rainfall using a small (about 30 g) fresh meat bait developed to be attractive to feral cats reduced their abundance by an estimated 75% and 100% when baits were delivered at a density of 10 and 22 km −2, respectively. A third aerial baiting at a density of 11 baits km −2 carried out during a period of above average rainfall reduced feral cat density by only 25% when surveyed 3 months after baiting. Baiting density, frequency and season are key factors likely to affect the impact of baiting on feral cat populations. Preliminary studies reveal that the home range of feral cats in this environment varies from about 700 to 1200 ha. Reptiles and small native mammals form the major dietary items of feral cats and the seasonal variation in abundance of these items is likely to affect bait uptake. These observations have important implications for control strategies.

Redefining introgressed protected mammals: when is a wildcat a wild cat and a dingo a wild dog?

Interbreeding between protected species and their domestic forms presents a conundrum for wildlife managers and legislators with respect to both defining the taxa concerned and enacting or enforcing conservation measures. Recent research on two species geographically distant but with highly analogous histories, the wildcat (Felis silvestris) in Scotland and the dingo (Canis lupus dingo) in Australia, illustrates the challenges faced. Introgression has left the contemporary wild form of both species difficult to distinguish from many of their domesticated forms. Furthermore, historical definitions, and the protective legislation based on them, have been rendered obsolete by subsequent anthropogenic environmental change. We argue that a new approach is necessary for defining mammalian species in the face of introgression with their domestic forms and environmental change, including persecution. Protecting animals for where and how they live, and for their cultural or ecosystem function value rather than focusing on their appearance, offers the best solution for maintaining their conservation status.

Warning Visitors about the Potential Dangers of Dingoes on Fraser Island, Queensland, Australia

Situations where potentially dangerous animals are habituated to park visitors occur around the world. Interpretation may reduce the risk to visitors in these areas by forewarning them of the dangers of these animals. When interpretation is used in these situations, the message must be disseminated, understood, and acted on by all visitors if it is to be successful. “Be Dingo-Smart” is an interpretive program that warns visitors about the dangers of dingoes (Canis lupus dingo) on Fraser Island (Australia). Our survey of campers to the Island found that different demographic groups of visitors paid attention to, read, or deliberately ignored the different types of media used in the program. When the media was read it increased people's knowledge about dingoes on Fraser Island. This finding suggests that interpreters need to use a range of media targeted to specific groups to overcome the differences in motivations and preferences of visitors when attempting to disseminate essential messages. Additionally when a range of media and messages are used, interpretation needs to be part of an integrated visitor management strategy.

Parasites and pathology of the respiratory tracts of native and feral mammals in Australia - a review.

This paper summarizes knowledge of the biodiversity and pathology associated with parasites of the respiratory tract of wild mammals, including feral species, in Australia. Representatives of 21 genera of nematodes distributed in the superfamilies Trichostrongyloidea, Metastrongyloidea, Thelazioidea, Filarioidea, Trichinelloidea and Muspiceoidea are included. Larval stages of the cestode, Echinococcus granulosus, occur in the lungs of macropodids and feral pigs (Sus scrofa). Trematodes occur in the lungs of dugongs (Dugong dugon) and in the cranial sinuses and blowholes of dolphins. Pentastomes occur in the lungs of the sugar glider (Petaurus breviceps) and in the frontal sinuses of dingoes (Canis lupus dingo) and foxes (Vulpes vulpes). Nymphal stages of the latter have been found in the lungs of rabbits (Oryctolagus cuniculus) and nymphs of a pentastome of tree pythons occur in the lungs of the northern brown bandicoot (Isoodon macrourus). Pneumonyssid mites occur in the lungs of the northern brushtail possum (Trichosurus vulpecula arnhemensis) and an undescribed speleognathine mite has been found in the lungs of P. breviceps. Trombiculid, tydeoid, dermanyssid and halarachnid mites are endoparasitic in the nasal sinuses of rodents, antechinuses, possums, gliders, elephant seals and fur seals. Larvae of oestrid bot-flies occur in the trachea of macropodids and in the nasal sinuses of camels (Camelus dromedarius). Host specificity in these parasites represents the full spectrum from species specific to class catholic with the intranasal chigger, Ascoschoengastia rattus, occuring in metatherian and eutherian mammals as well as varanid lizards. Similarly, pathological changes associated with these parasites range from inapparent to verminous bronchitis and bronchiolitis resulting in mortalities or severely impaired respiratory reserve or hypoxia precipitating death.

Surplus killing by introduced predators in Australia—evidence for ineffective anti-predator adaptations in native prey species?

Australian examples of surplus killing by mammalian predators were collated. These included surplus killing of native mammals and birds by foxes ( Vulpes vulpes) and stock, native mammals and native birds by dingoes ( Canis lupus dingo). We found no examples of surplus killing by feral cats ( Felis catus). Incidents collated include historical anecdotes of surplus killing by foxes as they colonised the Australian mainland, recent examples where foxes killed threatened native species at sites despite intensive management to exclude foxes, and recent examples of the killing of native species on formerly fox-free islands to which foxes gained entry. Episodes of surplus killings by foxes, other than predation on captive or closely confined animals, appeared different in kind and frequency to those documented for co-evolved predator–prey systems on the large continental landmasses. They did not appear to be uncommon events associated with synchronised births of prey species, unusual or extreme weather that disadvantaged prey species, or seasonal food caching by a predator. Rather, surplus killing events appeared to reflect ineffective anti-predator defences by prey species when encountering a novel and efficient predator to which they have had no evolutionary exposure. We suggest that surplus killing by foxes may have been a feature of, and major contributor to, the rapid mainland extinction or contraction in range of many native species in Australia. In contrast to foxes, examples of surplus killing by dingoes relate mostly to domestic stock (calves and sheep). The arrival of dingoes to the Australian continent preceded that of foxes by 3500–4000 years, but they appear not to have had the dire impact on native mammals that we attribute to foxes. This may be due to fundamental differences in hunting styles and prey size and to their sparse populations in pre-European Australia. Active persecution of non-commensal dingoes by Aborigines, the lack of free-water, and the absence of European rabbits ( Oryctolagus cuniculus) as an alternative food supply would have limited their numbers and their impact on native mammals.

The effect of dingo control on sheep and beef cattle in Queensland

Summary Predation by dingoes Canis lupus dingo is regarded as a widespread problem by Australian livestock producers. This study examined five decades of historical data to evaluate the use and effect of dingo control on the distribution of sheep and beef cattle in Queensland. In Queensland, dingo bounties were significantly more numerous in years with high sheep numbers but significantly less numerous in years with high beef cattle numbers. These relationships probably reflected the social and economic attitudes of the two producer groups to dingoes. The relatively high impact that dingoes are perceived to have on sheep compared with beef cattle, the control techniques used by the two producer groups, and the intensity at which these techniques are applied, were the underlying causes. Subsequent to the introduction of baiting using 1080 (sodium fluoracetate), there was an immediate decline in the use of strychnine, the number of dingo bounties presented for payment, and the number of dingo trappers employed by local governments in Queensland. However, these changes were confounded by a simultaneous decline in sheep numbers and dingo control effort. Barrier fences and poisoned ‘buffers’ were compared for their ability to protect sheep from dingo predation. With few exceptions, sheep numbers declined or increased marginally within 50 km inside a dingo barrier fence or within a boundary between sheep and beef cattle production outside the dingo barrier fence. This contrasted to areas > 50 km from the dingo barrier fence or sheep/cattle boundary. Both poisoned buffers and barrier fences could be equally effective at preventing sheep losses. However, buffers are best suited to open arid areas where large‐scale co‐ordinated baiting programmes are more feasible and where prey scarcity leads to increased bait consumption. We predict that sheep production outside the dingo barrier fence in Queensland will contract from the north and east. There is a case for re‐establishing a barrier fence in this area to prevent such contraction. Co‐ordinated predator management, such as barrier fencing or aerial baiting, can protect sheep at a regional level. However, unless the financial burden of pest control is shared through a centralized scheme, sheep producers living along the boundary are likely to leave the industry or substitute cattle for sheep and the sheep‐production area will contract. This paper cautions the use of bounties as a measure of relative abundance and illustrates how people’s perception of a pest and the type of livestock they produce can affect their level of control effort and the control methods they use.

Two ecological universes separated by the Dingo Barrier Fence in semi-arid Australia: interactions between landscapes, herbivory and carnivory, with and without dingoes

This paper challenges conclusions of Caughley et al. (1980) that the abundance of red kangaroos (Macropus rufus) in western New South Wales is solely due to lack of dingoes (Canis lupus dingo), and vice versa for neighbouring South Australia. A Dingo Barrier Fence divides the two different ecological systems, which have sheep in New South Wales and cattle in South Australia. This paper re-examines in particular whether there is an environmental gradient across the Fence that was dismissed by Caughley et al. This paper concludes to the contrary, that there is a strong environmental gradient. Our aerial surveys demonstrate significantly that habitats favouring red kangaroos are prevalent in New South Wales today, but are very scarce or absent in South Australian landscapes. Aerial surveys were used in both studies, but designs differed. Caughley et al. flew at right angles across the Fence on paths 28 km apart. Flights would have crossed the south-westerly streamlines rarely. Our flight lanes followed streamlines looking for floodouts, the favourite habitat of red kangaroos. Return lanes went between streamlines sampling other habitats. Counts of red kangaroos seen were made every 1.75 km, with the specific habitat also identified. Three extra factors are invoked in our study. One is that the low annual rainfalls translate into intrinsically low survival rates of pouch-young of red kangaroos, contrary to their abundance in New South Wales today. The other two are related to that current abundance also. There is now evidence for greatly increased run-off of rainfall from catchments onto the open plains in New South Wales. Also present is a very large shallow basin lying between catchments and the Dingo Barrier Fence. Streamlines enter it but none flow past its western rim. The above conclusions were confirmed during subsequent ground surveys over three years. Of eleven species of medium and large vertebrates seen in New South Wales, five were absent in South Australia. Three were kangaroos, and the others were feral pigs and goats. Emus are more abundant in New South Wales also. All of those species would be targets for dingoes, especially as alternate prey to rabbits that generate huge eruptions every decade or so. Red foxes (Vulpes vulpes) were in lower abundance in South Australia with dingoes present, as expected with meso-predator interactions. Feral cats (Felis catus) were in similar numbers on both sides of the Fence for unknown reasons. Competition between rabbits (Oryctolagus cuniculus) and sheep for food in New South Wales was shown to significantly reduce rabbit numbers in drought. That rabbits are perennially in lower densities there than in South Australia may be due to the higher densities of foxes than in South Australia. Historically, red kangaroos were rare in the region in the mid-1800s. Their abundance has arisen since European occupation. Thc species was rare on those open plains, and permanent water was scarce. Rabbit Haemorrhagic Disease reached the study-area in 1995. Its impact reduced rabbit populations to a rarity that prevails today on both sides of the Dingo Fence. Predation from dingoes, foxes and feral cats may assist continuance of low numbers of rabbits. Pastures, seedling trees and livestock will benefit, as will the kangaroos.

A Symposium on the Dingo. Edited by Chris Dickman and Daniel Lunney. A Review by Peter Thomson.

A symposium on the dingo (Canis lupus dingo) was held in Sydney in May 1999 to discuss issues surrounding the conflicting views of the dingo: seen both as a potentially threatened species, and as a species that needs to be controlled because of its predation on livestock. The Symposium was particularly relevant to New South Wales (NSW) because of consideration being given to place the dingo on the schedule of NSW vulnerable species, under the NSW Threatened Species Conservation Act 1995. The potential for conflict was exacerbated by concurrent legislative changes in NSW (Rural Lands Protection Act 1998) requiring the Crown to control pest animals declared under the Act. Despite the obvious focus on the NSW situation, many of the issues discussed have wider relevance to the management and conservation of dingoes across Australia.

Insular tammar wallabies (Macropus eugenii) respond to visual but not acoustic cues from predators

We studied the way in which a population of tammar wallabies (Macropus eugenii), which have been isolated from mammalian predators since the last ice age, responded to the sight and sound of historical and ontogenetically and evolutionarily novel predators. Tammars were shown a range of visual stimuli, including taxidermic mounts of two evolutionarily novel predators, a red fox (Vulpes vulpes) and a cat (Felis catus), and a model of an extinct predator, the thylacine (Thylacinus cynocephalus). Controls were a conspecific, the cart on which all mounts were presented, and blank trials in which spontaneous change in behavior was measured. We played back recorded sounds to characterize responses to acoustic cues from predators and to a putative conspecific antipredator signal. Treatments included the howls of dingoes (Canis lupus dingo), an evolutionarily novel predator; calls of a wedge-tailed eagle (Aquila audax), a historical and current predator; and wallaby foot thumps. Controls were the song of an Australian magpie (Gymnorhina tibicen) and a blank trial. After seeing a fox, wallabies thumped their hind feet in alarm, suppressed foraging, and increased looking. The sight of a cat similarly suppressed foraging and increased looking. The sounds of predators did not influence responsiveness, but wallabies foraged less and looked more after thump playbacks. Our results suggest that tammars respond to the sight, but not the sounds, of predators. In contrast, the response to foot thumps demonstrates that this particular sound functions as an antipredator signal. We suggest that responsiveness to visual cues has been preserved under relaxed selection because predator morphology is convergent, but vocalizations are not.

Monitoring coyote population changes with a passive activity index

A passive tracking index method that has been successfully applied to dingoes (Canis lupus dingo) in Australia was shown to have more general applicability to wild canids by monitoring coyote (Canis latrans) populations in southern Texas. The index was calculated simultaneously for multiple species of animals from observations on the number of intrusions onto a series of tracking plots over several days. We found that the index reflected changes in coyote activity before and after a trapping program on each of 2 ranches. We also were able to simultaneously monitor bobcat (Felis rufus) and white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) populations, producing some interesting (and unexpected) insights. In our study area, we found it difficult to distinguish the number of rabbit and rodent intrusions into the plots, but these animals might be indexed in other habitats. Analyses of the data as binary responses (presence or absence of spoor on each tracking plot), as has been done in scent-post surveys, reduced the sensitivity and accuracy of inferences.

Trends in the numbers of red kangaroos and emus on either side of the South Australian dingo fence: evidence for predator regulation?

Most of Australia’s sheep rangelands are enclosed by a dingo-proof fence. Within these rangelands, where dingoes (Canis lupus dingo) are rare, red kangaroos (Macropus rufus) are considered to be food limited because their numbers respond to fluctuations in pasture biomass that are driven by highly variable rainfall. Outside this region, where dingoes are common, kangaroo densities are generally substantially lower, suggesting that dingoes are an important limiting factor. However, it is unclear whether dingoes can regulate kangaroo populations. In this study, red kangaroo and emu (Dromaius novaehollandiae) numbers were monitored for varying periods during 1978–92 by aerial survey on both sides of the dingo fence in three areas in the north of the South Australian pastoral zone. Densities of red kangaroos and emus were lower outside the fence, although the disparity varied between areas and over time. The similarity in the environments on both sides of the fence and the marked step in kangaroo density at the fence are consistent with dingoes strongly limiting these prey populations. In the north-east of the pastoral zone, where kangaroo and emu densities are greatest, the contrast in density across the fence was most pronounced. Furthermore, the trends in density over time differed across the fence. Outside the fence, red kangaroos and emus remained at low densities following drought as dingo numbers increased. Inside the fence, red kangaroo and emu populations showed a ‘typical’ post-drought recovery. The data therefore suggest that, in some situations, dingoes may not simply limit red kangaroo and emu populations, but also regulate them. For this to occur, predation rate would need to be density dependent at low prey densities. The availability of alternative prey, and the reduction in the numbers of all prey during drought may provide the mechanism.