Packs of dingoes, some with multiple parasitic organisms are living just beyond the doorstep of many homes in urban southeast Queensland.
This is according to the recently released, preliminary results of a University of Queensland (UQ) study investigating the habitat use and disease ecology of urban dingoes.
In direct contrast to their outback cousins, urban dingoes spend the majority of their time within a few hundred metres of people and houses. In the UQ study, supported by Local and State Government, the dingoes were caught, fitted with GPS (Global Positioning System) tracking collars and tested for various diseases.
So far, the urban dingo project has concentrated on built-up areas of the Sunshine Coast and Brisbane suburbs, with some unexpected results.
“Dingo problems are not only experienced in the outback. We’ve known dingoes live in urban areas for some years, but what we didn’t know was the extent of the problem; just now we’re starting to get an idea of how serious it is,” UQ dingo researcher Ben Allen said.
After analysing the samples collected from the dingoes, the parasites so far identified include: hydatid tapeworms (Echinococcus granulosus), the “zipper tapeworm” (Spirometra sp.), roundworms (Capillaria sp.), hookworms (Ancylostoma caninum), campylobacter, giardia, coccidia (Isospora sp.), Salmonella sp., ticks (Ixodes sp.), and mites, most likely to be Sarcoptes scabei which causes mange.
While all of these can affect our pet dogs, many of these diseases can affect humans, and some can be quite dangerous and even fatal.
“The preliminary findings so far indicate that dingoes could live in unusually high numbers in urban areas, with multiple parasites, which presents a potential risk to the public,” he said.
Dingoes with these diseases have been shown to regularly forage in backyards, visit schools, picnic grounds, parklands, walk along footpaths and roads, and spend time in other public places.
Inevitably, they defecate and urinate in these places which presents a potential problem for disease control agencies, and urban dingoes are known to have attacked people.
Much is still unknown, but certainly the behaviour of urban dingoes needs to be investigated more thoroughly in order to manage these risks properly. The study is still in progress, and the final report will be handed down later this year.
Media inquiries: Susanne Schick - UQ Gatton Campus (5460 1229, 0409 265 587).
Further information/comment: Contact UQ Gatton School of Animal Studies (5460 1251)
