Snap was a hybrid—half dingo, half kelpie—but her spirit was pure dingo. When she was surrendered to the pound because her humans had left her home ‘alone’ with the family pets it nearly broke my heart to leave her there. But reality insisted I did not have the time or the energy to give her the life she needed, that her nature deserved.
I have written a story about her, but I want to do a complete re-write. That will be my first children’s book for 2015.
I have written a story about her, but I want to do a complete re-write. That will be my first children’s book for 2015.
Dingoes were brought from Asia by the Aborigines; they are in Aboriginal dreaming; they and the people of country have always had a cooperative integral relationship.
The dingoes of N’Gari are special because they have not bred with dogs [lupus familiaris]—according to Barry it’s the females that have the defined territories on the island with the males roaming. [This is different from on the mainland where a family group forms the pack and claims its territory.] So when the white fella came to N’Gari, they brought their dogs, but they were all killed by the female dingoes. Dingoes didn’t kill the horses!—over time the different types of horses interbred and became ‘feral’ brumbies. However, the brumbies on N’Gari were short-lived because of the amount of silicon they consumed and were scavenged by the dingo. When the island became popular for tourism the brumbies were culled. Tourism was also responsible for the compacting of sand on the intertidal stretches on the beaches—making it basically impossible for the dingo to harvest its other major food source—pipis.
If a dog comes along, a puppy has the instinct to roll onto its back to say, ‘See, I submit—I’m no danger to you.’ And if the puppy annoys the dog, the dog nips to say, ‘Stop it! Go away!’ But I would never leave a baby or small child alone with any dog—not even Chewy who actually has amazing tolerance for toddlers’ grapping, poking or dragging him! Little kids don’t understand how to submit and if nipped, are liable to scream and hit out and kick. The dog sees this as aggression towards it and naturally retaliates.
But kangaroos are not regarded as aggressive towards people. Well I was camping in the Warrumbungles once. There were a lot of dead kangaroos around the park. A couple of live ones [obviously] nearly mobbed me when I tried to get breakfast—when flapping tea towels at them didn’t work, I physically pushed them away.
The dingoes of N’Gari are special because they have not bred with dogs [lupus familiaris]—according to Barry it’s the females that have the defined territories on the island with the males roaming. [This is different from on the mainland where a family group forms the pack and claims its territory.] So when the white fella came to N’Gari, they brought their dogs, but they were all killed by the female dingoes. Dingoes didn’t kill the horses!—over time the different types of horses interbred and became ‘feral’ brumbies. However, the brumbies on N’Gari were short-lived because of the amount of silicon they consumed and were scavenged by the dingo. When the island became popular for tourism the brumbies were culled. Tourism was also responsible for the compacting of sand on the intertidal stretches on the beaches—making it basically impossible for the dingo to harvest its other major food source—pipis.
If a dog comes along, a puppy has the instinct to roll onto its back to say, ‘See, I submit—I’m no danger to you.’ And if the puppy annoys the dog, the dog nips to say, ‘Stop it! Go away!’ But I would never leave a baby or small child alone with any dog—not even Chewy who actually has amazing tolerance for toddlers’ grapping, poking or dragging him! Little kids don’t understand how to submit and if nipped, are liable to scream and hit out and kick. The dog sees this as aggression towards it and naturally retaliates.
But kangaroos are not regarded as aggressive towards people. Well I was camping in the Warrumbungles once. There were a lot of dead kangaroos around the park. A couple of live ones [obviously] nearly mobbed me when I tried to get breakfast—when flapping tea towels at them didn’t work, I physically pushed them away.
I was once pecked on the head by an emu named Pauline—she wanted attention [or, more likely, food] when I was sitting down with my back to her. It hurt! But in the bush, emus keep their distance. It was amazing to see a large number of scrawny birds coming towards me near Walgett. The farm dams, which had been responsible for the build-up of large numbers in the first place, had dried up. |
Starvation causes desperation.
So are dingoes aggressive towards people? I would say not usually.
So are dingoes aggressive towards people? I would say not usually.
I was a teenager in Canada when I first read Never Cry Wolf by Farley Mowat. Researching on the net this morning I was horrified [yes, truly!] to read it was fiction. Tonight I feel much better. I’ve been re-reading the preface to the 30th anniversary edition:
"…it is my practice never to allow facts to interfere with the truth and ...I believe that humor has a vital place in helping us to understand our lives…many self-ordained experts derided the book…For the most part I ignored this yapping at my heels, but perhaps now is a good time to turn, if briefly, upon the pursuing jackals—which is what a proper wolf would do…
Unfortunately, my major contention—that the wolf does not pose a threat to other species and is neither a danger nor a real competitor of man—remains largely unaccepted…
…far from being at enmity, the wolf and hunting man worldwide enjoyed something approaching symbiosis, whereby the existence of each benefited the existence of the other…"
Check out the website: savefraserislanddingoes.com
please, please, please
"…it is my practice never to allow facts to interfere with the truth and ...I believe that humor has a vital place in helping us to understand our lives…many self-ordained experts derided the book…For the most part I ignored this yapping at my heels, but perhaps now is a good time to turn, if briefly, upon the pursuing jackals—which is what a proper wolf would do…
Unfortunately, my major contention—that the wolf does not pose a threat to other species and is neither a danger nor a real competitor of man—remains largely unaccepted…
…far from being at enmity, the wolf and hunting man worldwide enjoyed something approaching symbiosis, whereby the existence of each benefited the existence of the other…"
Check out the website: savefraserislanddingoes.com
please, please, please