The ongoing drought in parts of Queensland has sparked renewed warning to grey nomads and others about the potential dangers posed by wild dogs.
The parched conditions have led many of the creatures to come ever closer to residential districts and camping areas as they seek food and water.
For example, about half a dozen dogs can regularly be spotted on the outskirts of Birdsville in the state’s remote south-west.
The ABC reports that the police and the Diamantina Shire Council have posted warning signs about the risk of an attack.
Senior Constable Neale McShane says no one has yet been attacked but – in the right circumstances – it could happen.
“They can attack pets, in rare circumstances they can attack a small child,” he said. “Also, they come to people’s homes and take people’s shoes sometimes.”
Council chief executive officer Scott Mason is encouraging tourists and locals alike to report sightings of wild dogs … and to exercise caution.
“At the end of the day these are wild animals, they are a declared animal, and council has got a fairly rigorous control program in place,” he told the ABC. “We’re confident that within a short matter of time we will have numbers down to a respectable level … but in the interim I think people need to always remember that you are going to get the odd dog that is going to exhibit those characteristics more than the general population.”
AgForce spokesman Michael Allpass told the ABC that wild dogs were responding to the drier conditions by forming packs as they look elsewhere for food.
“Just in Brisbane, in the southern suburb of Logan, we’ve heard of dog numbers increasing and starting to have an impact on households, attacking domestic pets and dogs,” he said.
AgForce is seeking to raise awareness and to use trapping programs to boost control in both rural and semi-urban coastal areas.
Have you noticed more wild dogs out and about? Do you feel threatened by them? Comment below.
Plenty of wild dogs near where we are at the moment….25 Kim’s south go Grafton, NSW. And it’s been raining a LOT here.
Saw one yesterday near Muttabura Qld.
They are everywhere where I grew up in Shellharbour, NSW. My house backed onto some bush, so was very common and little unnerving growing up.
We finally caught a wild dog on our property this morning. We live in suburbia but back onto bushland on the Gold Coast. We have had a couple here regularly over the last 3 months. They howl and are not nice to see kids get really scared of them. Anyone else seen any in Mudgeeraba area?
Hey Madonna. Still having problems with the dogs in Mudgteeba??