Revised Wild Dog Management Policy

Consultation has concluded

Consultation Process

Now Closed

This online engagement was hosted on YourSAy from 10 February to 17 April 2020. Below is a record of the engagement.


We want to hear your feedback on the revised policy on the management of wild dogs in South Australia.

What’s being decided?

Wild dog populations and distributions have increased inside the Dog Fence in South Australia over the past two decades. This is severely impacting on livestock industries.

To reduce the impact of feral animals in South Australia, we are reviewing declared animal policies under the Natural Resources Management Act 2004 (NRM Act).

The revised

Consultation Process

Now Closed

This online engagement was hosted on YourSAy from 10 February to 17 April 2020. Below is a record of the engagement.


We want to hear your feedback on the revised policy on the management of wild dogs in South Australia.

What’s being decided?

Wild dog populations and distributions have increased inside the Dog Fence in South Australia over the past two decades. This is severely impacting on livestock industries.

To reduce the impact of feral animals in South Australia, we are reviewing declared animal policies under the Natural Resources Management Act 2004 (NRM Act).

The revised Declared Animal Policy (Wild dogs and dingoes) provides strategies to manage wild dog populations across South Australia.

The objectives of the policy are to:

  • Maintain the Dog Fence to prevent incursions of wild dogs.
  • Virtually eradicate wild dogs inside the Dog Fence.
  • Minimise the impacts of wild dogs on cattle outside the Dog Fence.

The intended outcomes of the revised policy are to:

  • Protect and support the growth of South Australia’s resilient sheep industry.
  • Reduce the risk of wild dogs attacking people.
  • Maintain the ecological role of wild dogs outside the Dog Fence and their role in Aboriginal culture.

The main changes proposed include:

  • Requiring landholders to follow minimum baiting standards inside the Dog Fence.
  • Declaring wild dogs for control in a buffer zone of 35 kilometres outside the Dog Fence, including the fence that borders NSW.
  • Setting a baiting standard for the buffer zone.
  • Allowing aerial baiting of wild dogs in all NRM regions.

To find out more about the changes to the policy and how they might impact you, read the Background, What are the changes? and Frequently Asked Questions sections on this website.

Get involved

Anyone with an interest in, or impacted by the management of wild dogs in South Australia is invited to comment on the revised Declared Animal Policy (Wild dogs and dingoes).

Read the revised Declared Animal Policy (Wild dogs and dingoes) and provide your feedback via:

  • The online discussion
  • Email: pirsa.wilddogpolicy@sa.gov.au
  • Post: Revised Declared Animal Policy – Wild dogs consultation, Biosecurity SA, PIRSA. GPO Box 1671 Adelaide SA 5001

How can your input influence the decision?

Your feedback will be considered by PIRSA, NRM boards, the Minister for Primary Industries, Regions and Development and the Minister for Environment and Water to inform the development of the final version of the policy.

Contact details

For general inquiries, please email us at pirsa.wilddogpolicy@sa.gov.au

Closing date: 5 p.m. Friday 17 April 2020


Background

Now Closed

This online engagement was hosted on YourSAy from 10 February to 17 April 2020. Below is a record of the engagement.


Wild dog populations and distributions have increased inside the Dog Fence in South Australia over the past two decades. This is severely impacting on livestock industries.

Reasons for the increase in numbers include:

  • Incursions through the ageing Dog Fence.
  • Insufficient wild dog control by some landholders.
  • Breeding inside the Dog Fence.

Biosecurity SA is reviewing the policy on wild dogs in partnership with the Department for Environment and Water (DEW) and NRM boards. Wild dogs inside the Dog Fence are currently declared under the Natural Resources Management Act 2004 (NRM Act) because they impact livestock industries and public safety. The declaration and revised policy will transition from the NRM Act to the Landscape South Australia Act 2019.

The revised policy aligns with goals and actions in the SA Wild Dog Strategic Plan (2016-20). With the replacement of the Dog Fence over the next 3-5 years, this policy aims to virtually eradicate wild dogs inside the Dog Fence and control wild dogs outside the Dog Fence.

The intended outcomes are to:

  • Protect and support the growth of South Australia’s resilient sheep industry.
  • Reduce the risk of wild dogs attacking people.
  • Maintain the ecological role of wild dogs and their role in Aboriginal culture, outside the Dog Fence.

Definitions

Dingo: Native animal introduced to Australia approximately 3,500 years ago.

Domestic Dog: Breeds other than dingoes usually living in association with humans.

Wild dog: Wild-living dogs including dingoes, domestic dogs living at large, and their hybrids.

Read the media release from the Minister for Primary Industries and Regions for further information.

Consultation has concluded

  • Consultation outcome

    supporting image

    After extensive consultation with diverse stakeholder groups, including First Nations groups, the Conservation Council, National Parks and Wildlife Service, and livestock producer groups, the wild dog management policy was adopted following its publication in the South Australian Government Gazette on 26 August 2021.

    Many changes to the policy were made following public consultation. These include:

    • acknowledging the cultural values of dingoes to First Nations people,
    • promoting data collection of livestock losses and damage from wild dogs,
    • limiting baiting in the buffer zone to man-made and active water points,
    • promoting the ability for organically certified properties to bait, and
    • ensuring livestock producers and the public are protected from wild dog impacts.

    The Declared animal policy: Wild dogs and dingoes (pir.sa.gov.au) resulted from the consultation.

    The Landscape SA Act 2019 was also updated to incorporate the approved policy Wild dog baiting requirements: online tool - PIRSA

  • What are the changes?

    Now Closed

    This online engagement was hosted on YourSAy from 10 February to 17 April 2020. Below is a record of the engagement.


    The current declarations for wild dogs (termed dingoes and hybrids in current policy) inside the Dog Fence require landholders to destroy all wild dogs on their land.

    It is also illegal to keep, sell, or move a dingo without a permit. Permits are issued where certain requirements are met, including having secure enclosures and education programs.

    The following changes are being proposed under the revised policy:

    • To require land holders to follow minimum baiting standards inside the Dog Fence. These standards align with the Directions for Use of 1080 wild dog baits in SA. The proposed baiting standards differ between five regional areas, which are detailed in the revised policy. The standards aim to set clear expectations, and improve responsiveness of landholders and coordination of wild dog control programs across neighbouring properties.
    • To declare wild dogs for control in a buffer zone of 35 kilometres outside the Dog Fence, including the fence bordering the NSW, to reduce the risk of wild dog incursions. The revised policy also proposes a baiting standard for the buffer zone.
    • To allow aerial baiting of wild dogs in all NRM regions. This change would permit aerial baiting by NRM boards and landholders.

    There are no proposed changes for the keeping of dingoes.

    There are also no proposed changes to the declarations for the management of wild dogs outside the buffer zone, where they remain classified as unprotected wildlife under the National Parks and Wildlife Act 1972.