Editing Dingo (section)

=== Economic ===
Livestock farming expanded across Australia from the early 1800s, which led to conflict between the dingo and graziers. Sheep, and to a lesser extent cattle, are an easy target for dingoes. The [[Pastoralism|pastoralists]] and the government bodies that support this industry have shot, trapped, and poisoned dingoes or destroyed dingo pups in their dens. After two centuries of persecution, the dingo or dingo–dog hybrids can still be found across most of the continent.<ref name=smithC5/>

Research on the real extent of the damage and the reason for this problem only started recently. Livestock can die from many causes, and when the carcass is found, determining with certainty the cause of death is often difficult. Since the outcome of an attack on livestock depends to a high degree on the behaviour and experience of the predator and the prey, only direct observation is certain to determine whether an attack was by dingoes or other domestic dogs. Even the existence of remnants of the prey in the scat of wild dogs does not prove they are pests, since wild dogs also eat carrion.

[[File:Wild dog distribution 2.png|thumb|upright=1.2|Distribution of wild dogs and livestock<ref name=flemingC1/>]]

The cattle industry can tolerate low to moderate, and sometimes high, numbers of wild dogs (therefore dingoes are not so easily regarded as pests in these areas). In the case of sheep and goats, a zero-tolerance attitude is common. The biggest threats are dogs that live inside or near the [[paddock]] areas. The extent of sheep loss is hard to determine due to the wide [[pasture]] lands in some parts of Australia.{{Citation needed|date=April 2024}}

In 2006, cattle losses in the Northern Territory rangeland grazing areas were estimated to be up to 30%.<ref name="Nord"/>

Therefore, factors such as availability of native prey, as well as the defending behaviour and health of the cattle, play an important role in the number of losses. A study in Central Australia in 2003 confirmed that dingoes only have a low impact on cattle numbers when a sufficient supply of other prey (such as kangaroos and rabbits) is available. In some parts of Australia, the loss of calves is assumed to be minimised if horned cattle are used instead of [[Polled livestock|polled]].<ref name="impact"/> The precise economic impact is not known, and the rescue of some calves is unlikely to compensate for the necessary costs of control measures. Calves usually suffer less lethal wounds than sheep due to their size and the protection by adult cattle, so they have a higher chance of surviving an attack. As a result, the evidence of a dog attack may only be discovered after the cattle have been herded back into the enclosure,{{clarify|date=May 2014}} and signs such as bitten ears, tails, and other wounds are discovered.

The opinions of cattle owners regarding dingoes are more variable than those of sheep owners. Some cattle owners believe that the weakened mother losing her calf is better in times of drought so that she does not have to care for her calf, too. Therefore, these owners are more hesitant to kill dingoes.<ref name="Ian"/> The cattle industry may benefit from the predation of dingoes on rabbits, kangaroos, and rats. Furthermore, the mortality rate of calves has many possible causes, and discriminating between them is difficult. The only reliable method to assess the damage would be to document all pregnant cows, then observe their development and those of their calves.<ref name="Nord"/> The loss of calves in observed areas where dingoes were controlled was higher than in other areas. Loss of livestock is, therefore, not necessarily caused by the occurrence of dingoes and is independent from wild dogs.<ref name="ReviewCanid">{{cite journal|author1=Allen, L.R.|author2=Fleming, P.J.S.|title=Review of Canid Management in Australia for the Protection of Livestock and Wildlife – Potential Application to Coyote Management|url=http://digitalcommons.unl.edu/icwdmsheepgoat/2/|journal=Sheep & Goat Research Journal|volume=19|year=2004|page=97|access-date=31 May 2013|archive-date=29 October 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131029194119/http://digitalcommons.unl.edu/icwdmsheepgoat/2/|url-status=live}}</ref> One researcher has stated that for cattle stations where dingoes were controlled, kangaroos were abundant, and this affects the availability of grass.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.news.com.au/national/northern-territory/dingo-expert-says-its-better-for-the-environment-to-let-them-live-even-if-they-eat-one-or-two-cows-here-and-there/story-fnn3gfdo-1227377786816|title=Dingo expert says it's better for the environment to let them live|access-date=9 August 2015|date=June 2015|archive-date=2 June 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150602181710/http://www.news.com.au/national/northern-territory/dingo-expert-says-its-better-for-the-environment-to-let-them-live-even-if-they-eat-one-or-two-cows-here-and-there/story-fnn3gfdo-1227377786816|url-status=dead}}</ref>

Domestic dogs are the only terrestrial predators in Australia that are big enough to kill fully grown sheep, and only a few sheep manage to recover from the severe injuries. In the case of lambs, death can have many causes apart from attacks by predators, which are blamed for the deaths because they eat from the carcasses. Although attacks by red foxes are possible, such attacks are more rare than previously thought.<ref name="ReviewCanid"/> The fact that the sheep and goat industry is much more susceptible to damage caused by wild dogs than the cattle industry is mostly due to two factors – the flight behaviour of the sheep and their tendency to flock together in the face of danger, and the hunting methods of wild dogs, along with their efficient way of handling goats and sheep.

Therefore, the damage to the livestock industry does not correlate to the numbers of wild dogs in an area (except that no damage occurs where no wild dogs occur).<ref name="ReviewCanid"/>

According to a report from the government of Queensland, wild dogs cost the state about $30 million annually due to livestock losses, the spread of diseases, and control measures. Losses for the livestock industry alone were estimated to be as high as $18 million.<ref name="Nord"/> In [[Barcaldine, Queensland]], up to one-fifth of all sheep are killed by dingoes annually, a situation which has been described as an "epidemic".<ref>{{cite news |title=Dingo 'epidemic' on farm |first=Aden |last=Miles |url=http://www.stuff.co.nz/business/farming/sheep/8769476/Dingo-epidemic-on-farms |newspaper=Stuff |date=7 June 2013 |access-date=11 June 2013 |archive-date=10 January 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140110223021/http://www.stuff.co.nz/business/farming/sheep/8769476/Dingo-epidemic-on-farms |url-status=live }}</ref> According to a survey among cattle owners in 1995, performed by the Park and Wildlife Service, owners estimated their annual losses due to wild dogs (depending on the district) to be from 1.6% to 7.1%.<ref name="nt">{{cite web|title=Animals – Dingo Wild Dog (canis lupus familiaris, canis lupus dingo and hybrids)|url=http://www.nt.gov.au/nreta/wildlife/animals/native/dingo.html?|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090309125809/http://www.nt.gov.au/nreta/wildlife/animals/native/dingo.html|archive-date=9 March 2009|publisher=Northern Territory Government|access-date=9 May 2009|url-status=dead}}</ref>

In 2018, a study in northern South Australia indicates that fetal/calf loss averages 18.6%, with no significant reduction due to dingo baiting. The calf losses did not correlate with increased dingo activity, and the cattle diseases pestivirus and leptospirosis were a major cause. Dingoes then scavenged on the carcasses. There was also evidence of dingo predation on calves.<ref name=campbell2018/>

Among the indigenous Australians, dingoes were also used as hunting aids, living [[hot water bottle]]s, and camp dogs. Their scalps were used as a kind of [[currency]], their teeth were traditionally used for decorative purposes, and their fur for traditional costumes.

Sometimes "pure" dingoes are important for [[tourism]], when they are used to attract visitors. However, this seems to be common only on Fraser Island, where the dingoes are extensively used as a symbol to enhance the attraction of the island. Tourists are drawn to the experience of personally interacting with dingoes. Pictures of dingoes appear on brochures, many websites, and postcards advertising the island.<ref>{{cite web|author1=Lawrance, Kate|author2=Higginbottom, Karen|title=Behavioural Responses of Dingoes to Tourist on Fraser Island|url=http://www.crctourism.com.au/WMS/Upload/Resources/bookshop/WT27_Lawrance-DingoFraserIs.pdf|publisher=Sustainable Tourism Cooperative Research Centre|year=2002|access-date=3 May 2009|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090916042757/http://www.crctourism.com.au/WMS/Upload/Resources/bookshop/WT27_Lawrance-DingoFraserIs.pdf|archive-date=16 September 2009|url-status=dead}}</ref>