HB FI Dingo Management Policy 21-12-14 Jed

7/18/2019 HB FI Dingo Management Policy 21-12-14 Jed

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FRASER ISLAND (K’GARI) TOURISM DRAFT POLICY

DINGO MANAGEMENT DRAFT POLICY

© J a n n e a n E D e a n P a g e | 1

TOURISM

Incorporating Fraser Island to K’ Gari - It is the same as Uluru, it hasn't changed theappeal of it, just gave it back its true identity. It is a brilliant way of joining two culturesand educating others on the true history as has been done at Uluru.

1. Butchulla People to have camp fires for tourists including:1.1 Aboriginal music1.2 Aboriginal art – resources utilised including body art1.3 Didgeridoo – history and playing1.4 Dreamtime1.5 Bush Tucker1.6 Indigenous language

2. Butchulla People to run educational bus tours.

3. Employment and Educational opportunities for Indigenous

4. Barge / Ferry to Fraser from Marina4.1 Either bring a new operator or utilise an existing whale operator with quick

transfers from the Marina to Fraser Island.4.2 Not having the ferry stops many of our elderly and disabled residents going to

the island.

4.3 Kingfisher to negotiate with Fraser Coast Regional Council to subsidise the quicktransfers.

4.4 More expensive from River Heads and a longer journey which is why so manygo to Rainbow. The office is a tiny transportable building and the carpark is anargument between boaties, people fishing and tourists. Not to mention theroad in and out and the fact there is not much of an indication from the outsidethat it is there.

5. There is an opportunity to provide information on the incoming barges, this is notutilised. An informative talk by rangers or an Indigenous adviser before reaching the

Island would be an excellent starting point to a positive visitor experience andreinforce proper behaviour.

6. Random inspections of vehicles to prevent flora and fauna from being removed andin turn prevent non-indigenous flora and fauna from being taken to the Island.

7. There are no brochures or other educational material provided to visitors at entrypoints.

8. Establish an Interpretive / Information Centre and encourage Island residents and

the Indigenous Community to be part of and engage in visitor education.






9. Strategies for managing visitors are imperative if tourism is to remain sustainable.The impact of tourism can be reduced if measures are taken to better monitor and

control the activities of tourists and their vehicles. Visitation needs to be developedin a way which allows tourists to experience the Island in a more controlled, moreengaged and environmentally focused manner.

10. Management over the whole of the annual cycle and especially at peak times such asChristmas, Easter and School Holidays, needs to be addressed.

11. In an overall threat analysis based on the transcripts of all expert scientificrespondents.a. Recreational activity emerged as the greatest potential threat to the attributes

defining World Heritage character on Fraser Island.b. The second highest threat was the lack of knowledge about the impacts of suchvisitor activity on ecological and cultural integrity.

c. Third ranked potential threat was infrastructure development.d. This basic finding highlights the priority to effectively manage tourist activity in

the Park as a primary means of sustaining ecological and cultural integrity.'UNESCO.






DINGO MANAGEMENT

'Leave the dingoes alone, it's their country.' Aunty Marie Wilkinson. Butchulla Elder.

Save Fraser Island Dingoes Inc. is a non for profit organisation formed in 2009 in responseto numerous concerns by visitors and the local community regarding the well-being andtreatment of the Fraser Island dingo. SFID has my full support.

SFID has been collecting eye witness and written reports from the public, collatingresearch papers and through Right to Information, analysing necropsy, incident reportsand tag registers. SFID continues to liaise with scientists and dingo / wildlife experts. Thisinformation has enabled SFID to provide an informed and comprehensive history of thedingo on Fraser Island, report and make recommendations regarding the currentunsustainable situation that now exists on the Island.

There are serious concerns as to the population of Fraser Island Dingoes and the breedingpairs. In October 2014 there were recent sightings of only 2 pups and roughly 7 adultsand a rough estimate between 70 and 90 remaining. Today 4th January 2015 I wasadvised between 20 to 50 dingoes remain.






RECOMMENDATIONS

1.

Establish a Wildlife Advisory Committee1.1 Comprising of local stakeholders, residents, Indigenous community and wildlifeexperts.

1.2 The Committee to monitor and advise on all matters relating to Fraser Island'sunique fauna and to act in the best interest of Wildlife Management.

1.3 Members would not be involved in the Tourism Industry. It is important thatTourism and Wildlife be managed independently of each other to avoid conflictof interest.

1.4 Current Committees are ineffectual and / or politically motivated.1.5 A number of groups have been established, including a dingo working group

and the newly formed Butchulla Advisory Board, but the issue still remains as tothe credentials of those on these Committees, so it is still accurate to say thatCommittees should: as highlighted above.

2. Lethal Control is not a viable or desirable management strategy. A moratoriumshould be implemented to restore stability to dingo packs. This would eliminatemuch of the problem behaviour.

3. Dingoes are generally shy and elusive creatures with a quiet and inquisitivedisposition. Intentional feeding / habituation are generally associated with attacks soas one would expect this has been the focus of investigation. In spite of close

scrutiny and comprehensive research, all have failed to conclusively identify feeding /habituation as a root cause.

4. Consider legislation protecting government agencies from litigation. This wouldassign responsibility for appropriate behaviour from dingoes to humans and requirethat visitors be responsible for their personal safety and the safety of their children.In a practical sense this could be achieved by taking into account the behaviour ofthe humans involved in negative dingo-human interactions when deciding what to doabout the dingo or dingoes involved.

5.

Presently any negative dingo-human interaction results in an animal being destroyed.This is inconsistent with the dingo being considered a 'natural resource' andprotected in such areas as World Heritage Listed Fraser Island.

6. A review of current educational literature is needed.6.1 The overriding focus is instilling fear of the dingoes and to not feed the

dingoes; a more balanced approach is required.6.2 Whilst feeding must be discouraged and fines apply, the fear campaign has

resulted in visitors expecting a negative encounter and acting in response totheir expectations. This is exhibited by people screaming, throwing objects and

running. This behaviour only encourages confrontation and what would havebeen a benign and even positive encounter results in a negative response byboth dingo and human.






6.3 Below is a comparison of a Safety and Information Guide published in Canada2008? (Note: Bear has been substituted for ‘Dingo’)

You are in Dingo Country, as a National Park visitor, you share this natural areawith dingoes and other wildlife that depend on it for their survival. Byincreasing your knowledge of dingo behaviour you can reduce the likelihood ofan unpleasant encounter and at the same time, help protect the Fraser IslandDingo population. With your cooperation, dingoes and people can co-exist.

As opposed to Qld Parks and Wildlife fear campaign – “Keep kids close -dingoes move quickly - Never feed dingoes - if you are attacked, defendyourself aggressively, you are fighting for your life - strike the dingo with anobject such as a stick, backpack or coat.

7. Feeding Station / Study Zone to be considered according to 'World’ s best practice'.7.1

Feeding only as a supplement at certain times of the year if native food isscarce or during holiday periods to encourage animals away from visitors.

7.2 No human interference. Observe only.

8. ‘The dingo is unique in being both wildlife and the direct descendant of the world'sfirst domesticated animal; therefore there is no inconsistency in seeing the dingo aswildlife, while accepting the need to afford it human / management in settings likeFraser Island.' Dr Ernest Healy, Monash University.

9. A full comprehensive re-evaluation of incident reporting is a priority. Dingoes are

being destroyed due to incorrect ranger observations and uneducated visitorcomments. At present 'incidents' are categorised from A to E.

A Is an animal which 'avoids people'.B Includes curious, loitering at recognised visitor site, not wary, non-aggressive.C Living under infrastructure, loitering, stealing food / property, soliciting food.D Dominant / submissive testing, stalking, growling.E Lunging, biting / nipping

To consider all of the above as requiring an 'incident' report exhibits a fundamentallack of understanding of normal dingo behaviour.

10. Rangers need to be divided into two categories.10.1 Those trained to manage wildlife, including a Wildlife Biologist to specifically

care for and monitor the Fraser Island dingo.10.2 Those trained to manage visitors, interact and educate tourists.

This is 'best' practice in National Parks worldwide. E.g. Yellowstone NationalPark in the USA; 'Visitor' rangers need to be seen and heard. Face to face talksby rangers has been reported to halt dingo incidents. This approachdemonstrated that such contact is one of the most productive ways of changingvisitor behaviour. (Qld. EPA, QPWS, 2001a).

10.3

A live-on policy with rangers stationed at campgrounds and high visitor areaswould make this feasible.






11. Develop an application using Facial Recognition Technology.11.1 This technology has the potential to eliminate tagging and human

interference of dingoes.11.2 In the long term, would also be more economical than the capture / tagmethod. Tags are permanently damaging the dingoes.

11.3 We already have smart phone based human recognition available. If we hadthe funding and interest, Professor Brian Lovell of the University of Qld is anexpert and would love to develop a smart phone app for dingoes.

11.4 The public and tourists could also help with the population monitoring.11.5 The software is in early stages of development and has been self-funded by

Professor Lovell and his team, considering the potential this technology has,we all need to urge the government to support and assist.

With all the support, evidence and solutions available, it is worrisome that none of thesehave been adopted to date and with continued ignorance we will see the extinction of thebeautiful Fraser Island Dingo in the not too distant future.

This needs immediate and urgent action.






OTHER

1.

Establish a Wild Care Centre1.1 This will provide rescue, rehabilitation and release for orphaned or sick nativeanimals (350 species of birds, 50 species of terrestrial mammals, 20 species ofamphibian, 70 species of reptiles (incl. 19 kinds of snakes); including anyanimal injured during a marking procedure.

1.2 Community and stakeholder support for the establishment of this facility isparamount including recruitment wildlife carers, professionals & othervolunteers to assist in maintaining.

1.3 This could be manned by Local Wildlife volunteers or suitably qualified rangers.1.4 Present policy is that injured wildlife is either shot or left to the elements as

the Island is a wilderness area. Not all wildlife is left to die, some aretransported to off island care facilities to die or be treated. It is also aNational Park and World Heritage listed, therefore, the manager, QPWS hasa 'duty of care' to protect the flora and fauna within its boundaries.

2. Fines for littering.

SUMMARY

Conservation of the Island's biodiversity, natural heritage and cultural values must be the

main concern of government agencies. Research, education and awareness are essentialto preserve the environment, flora and fauna and to operate a successful and sustainableTourism Industry.

An annual review and assessment of strategies is critical to evaluate the problems andprogress of policies implemented. A code of ethics formulated and followed for thehumane treatment of the Fraser Island dingo should be seriously considered.

It is alarming that there has been no 'common sense' approach by the decision makers tohave already achieved a positive outcome. As Albert Einstein said "Keep doing the same

thing over and over again and expecting different results is Insanity."

HB FI Dingo Management Policy 21-12-14 Jed

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