Safety of humans around dingoes in townships and popular tourist destinations

 

Media stories surrounding dingoes attacking people in multiple places are common, but particularly so in the year 2023, including stories from Queensland including the tourist island of K’gari, Lamington National Park, and township of Cairns. This led to several media engagements, and a CQU media release, on August 14, 2023, ‘Safety around dingoes all down to humans, says CQU Expert”.

 

• I appeared on ABC Sunday Extra (national radio program) on July 23, 2023, on a segment called “Dingo attacks are on the rise, but who is to blame?”

• Appeared on The Briefing podcast and radio program, released July 27, 2023. - “What to do if you come face to face with a dingo.”

• Provided expert commentary in The Guardian, “Tourists taking selfies and feeding dingoes blamed for rise in K’gari attacks.” Published July 24, 2023. 

• Featured in several outlets internationally, based on a story published by AFP on July 19 2023, “Dingo cull rejected after attacks at Australian Island”

• Featured in The Guardian, July 23, 2023, in an article “Tourists taking selfies and feeding dingoes blamed for rise in K’gari attacks”.

• Gave comment for a newspaper article in The NorthWest Telegraph/Pilbara News, on June 13, 2023, “Lethal control does not dilute dingo DNA as expert criticises the practice of culling of Australia’s dog.”

• Interviewed on ABC Gold Coast radio with Bern Young, on June 30, 2023, relating dingoes residing around Lamington National Park.

• Featured in a newspaper article in the Cairns Post, on April 12, 2025, in a story titled “Mapped: Every dingo sighting in Queensland”.

 

Dingo-human negative interactions (conflict)

 

Typically, when a person is attacked by a dingo, I am called upon to provide expert commentary. For example, in 2023, I was asked to comment about a dingo attack on a child at Karijini National Park (WA).

• Provided comments for an ABC News story on June 6, 2023, “Dingo ‘humanely destroyed’ after attacks on two children in Karijini National Park”.

• Interview on ABC WA Statewide Morning Program with Nadia Mitsopoulos (April 17, 2023)

 

In April 2019, there was a dingo attack on K’gari (Fraser Island) to which I was asked to comment:

• Featured as an expert on WIN Wide Bay News television program. Aired March 11, 2019.

• Interviewed on ‘The Ben Fordham Show’ on Radio 2GB (Sydney), April 19, 2019.

• Novel solutions to dingo attack risk’. The Bulletin, by Peter Michael, March 8, 2019.

• ‘Dingo researchers say irresponsible bite victims should be fined’. The Advertiser, by Peter Michael, March 7, 2019.

• ‘Repellent suggested for dingoes’. Fraser Coast Chronicle, March 9, 2019.

• Sturdy umbrellas and onion juice: Researchers provide novel ways to stave off a dingo attack after three people, including a French tourist and her son, 10, were mauled by the wild animals’. Daily Mail, by Laura Withers, March 9, 2021.

 

In July 2018, I was asked to comment when a dingo attacked a mine worker in Western Australia:

• Dingo attack at Telfer mine in Pilbara leaves worker with serious leg injuries’. ABC News, by James Carmody and Jon Daly, July 23, 2018.

• ‘Expert says vicious dingo attacks a rare event up north’. West Australian (Perth), by Dylan Caporn and Gabrielle Knowles, July 24, 2018, page 5.

• Dingo behaviour expert says cull not the answer following attack’. The West Australian, by Clarissa Phillips, July 23, 2018.

• Multiple interviews with Western Australian ABC radio stations on April 26 and 27, 2018, including ABC Perth, ABC South West WA, ABC Great Southern WA, ABC Goldfields, ABC North West WA, ABC Esperance, ABC Mid West and Wheatbelt, ABC Kimberley.

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Media coverage relating to a research paper I published in 2020 relating to the effectiveness of an inflatable person to repel dingoes:

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• ‘Wacky tube men could keep dingoes away from livestock in Australia’. Science Magazine, by Max Levy. October 20, 2020. (link)

• ‘Portable, inflatable people may be solution to dingoes and livestock co-existing’. ABC News, by Ollie Wykeham, October 28, 2020. (link)

• ‘CQUniversity researching whether air dancers help with wild dog control’. Queensland Country Life, by Sally Gall, October 19, 2020. (link)

• ‘Wacky tube men to help protect farmer’s livestock from dingoes’. Australian Online News, reporter Christy Johns, October 21, 2020. (link)

• ‘Wavy arm-flailing inflatable tube men scare off looting dingoes in Australia’. IFLS, Rachel Funnell, October 22, 2020. (link)

• ‘Inflatable wavey people could solve dingo problem’. CQUniversity Impact Podcast, Episode 9, December 1, 2020. (link)

• ABC radio interviews across their national networks from October 12-20. E.g., ABC National NewsRadio, ABC Darwin, Alice Springs, Sunshine Coast, Wide Bay, Tropical North. Commercial radio interviews such as Hot 91.1 FM, Hitz FM 93.9, Star 101.9 FM.

 

Dingo identity (taxonomy, hybridisation, genetics)

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Featured in various stories relating to the identity of the Australian dingo as a result of published journal articles, CQUni media release, and two The Conversation articles on the topic:

• ‘How much of a dog is a dingo? New research rekindles identity debate’. ABC Science, by Anna Salleh, March 26, 2021.

• Dingoes are a fair dinkum separate species needing better protection, researchers say’. ABC News, by Matt Coleman and Gary-Jon Lysaght, March 7, 2019.

• Related to the above article, the ABC digital team created an augmented reality effect ‘Can you tell the difference between a dingo skull and a dog skull?’. I provided the models and research used for this feature.

• ‘Debate over how to classify dingoes’. Sydney Morning Herald, March 9, 2019.

• ‘Study proves dingoes native’. The Daily Examiner, March 11, 2019.

• Give the dingo its due, the “Aussie wolf” is not a dog: Scientists’. Brisbane Times, by Stuart Layt, March 7, 2019.

• ‘Australian researchers say dingo is not a dog, but own species’. Daily Mail, March 6, 2019.

• ‘Dingo is its own unique species’. Daily Telegraph (Sydney), March 8, 20219, page 15.

• Researchers want dingoes ‘protected’’. Katherine Times, by Chris McLennan, March 6, 2019.

• ‘Dingoes should remain a distinct species in Australia’. Phys.org (UK), March 6, 2019.

• ‘Unique claim confirmed for Australia’s dingoes’. Fraser Coast Chronicle, March 7, 2019.

• Farmers get new right to shoot dingoes’. The Times (UK), by Bernard Lagan, August 29, 2018.

• Are Australians re-domesticating the dingo’. The Atlantic (USA), by Carrie Arnold, January 31, 2018.

• Multiple radio interviews with ABC radio about dingo identity. For example, ABC WA (statewide) on March 6, 2019; ABC Sunshine Coast on March 7; ABC Western Queensland on March 11, and ABC Queensland (statewide) on March 7.

 

General dingo news stories, television programs, and podcasts

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I am often the ‘go-to’ person to provide comment on dingo related news stories. Some examples:

• Appeared on Channel 10’s Totally Wild for a story relating to the study of wild dingoes (National) (aired September 2, 8am 2017).

• How did the dingo get to Australia’. Science Magazine, by Leigh Dayton, April 4, 2016.

• Interviewed on ABC Australia wide with Sinead Mengan on a story relating to keeping dingoes as pets (in response to a case in Victoria where two pet dingoes attacked another dog). March 7, 2018.

• Interviewed on The Wire radio show (an Indigenous program) on October 9, 2023- in relation to the First Nations Dingo forum, “Advocates call to end lethal control of dingoes.” 

• Footage from Bundaberg showed thermal images of a large dingo pack. I was contacted to provide expert commentary for Channel 7 news. Story published November 19, 2023, “Dingo drone footage captured by thermal camera on QLD property shows family ‘fun time’.”

• Featured on The Dog Pod podcast, Season 2, episode 6, “Discover the fascinating world of dingos”, first aired March 21, 2023.

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Human-animal co-sleeping

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The topic of co-sleeping with pets has been an ongoing topic covered in the media, and is based upon my research and publications on the topic. At various points between 2016-2020, I have provided expert commentary relating to the practice of co-sleeping with dogs. Resulting from publishing several scientific articles, a CQU media release, and CQU News article:

• Interviewed by Channel 7’s discussing my research relating to co-sleeping with dogs (National) (Jan 29, 2015)

• Interviewed on FiveAA radio, Afternoons with Jade Robran, July 7, 2021, regarding health benefits of co sleeping with dogs.

• Preventing your dog or cat from interrupting your sex life’. ABC Everyday, by Kellie Scott, June 11, 2019.

• Should you let pets sleep in your bed’. Reviewed.com (a subsidiary of USA Today), by Lindsey Vickers, February 9, 2021.

• ‘Should you let sleeping dogs lie in your bed?’ IFLS, Stephen Luntz, Nov 20, 2018. (link).

• ‘Doona dogs are good for your health’. Herald Sun, July 18, 2017.

• How to share a bed with your pet’. BottomLine Inc, by Pat Miller, July 1, 2016.

• Should you let your pets sleep in bed with you?’ ABC Everyday, by Kellie Scott, Jan 15, 2019.

• Radio interviews with ABC, including ABC South West Victoria, ABC Goulburn Murray.

 

Dog behaviour and dog-human interactions

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In general, I am often asked to comment in relation to the human-relationship with dogs, or dog behaviour generally, or research relating to dogs. For example:

• Was an expert commentator on a research study that looked at “The science behind puppy dog eyes, and other ways our canines communicate with us” in the ABC News, by Anna Salleh, April 6, 2022.

• Scientific studies of animal intelligence and emotion reveal surprising traits’. The Sydney Morning Herald (feature), by Stathi Paxinos, August 27, 2015.

• Dog owners embrace elaborate birthday party trend for beloved canines’. ABC Riverland, by Catherine Heuzenroder, February 8, 2018.

• Dogs can detect emotions from facial expression’. Australian Geographic, by Grant Lubyckij and Carolyn Barry, Fevruary 16, 2015.

• How man’s best friend hacked out brains for love’. The New Daily, by Jackson Stiles, April 22, 2015.

• MRI scans used to prove dogs can recognise emotional states in humans’. ABC News, by David Taylor, March 3, 2016.

‘Raining dogs in Gladstone’. Gladstone Observer, by Laura Mckee, Jan 31, 2015.

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Media in 2022 related to the launch of my book ‘Wildlife Research in Australia’.

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• CQU news media replace- ‘Australian-first wildlife ‘bible’ tackles tough ethical questions for animal researchers’.

• Covered in the Times Higher Education, July 17, 2022. Written by John Ross ‘Ethics guide details how researchers should work with wildlife’.

• Covered on ABC news radio, for example on Drive ABC Far North with Adam Stephen, on July 15, 2022; ABC Radio North and West SA Regional Drive on August 1, 2022.

• Featured on talk bac, ABC National Overnights, on 19-8 2022.

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Other

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• Appeared on CQU Podcast, IMPACT, on season 1, episode 9 (2020): “Inflatable wavey people could solve dingo problem”.

• Asked by CQU Podcast team to interview PhD Candidate Emily Bryson for the CQUniversity Podcast ‘IMPACT’. Episode 5, “Compost trials tackling dog poo problem”,  November 3, 2020.

• Radio interview stemming from an article for conversation about what would happen to dogs if we disappeared: Night Radio in New Zealand. December 12, 2023- Radio NZ, with Mark Leishman.