The Victorian National Parks Association (VNPA) is deeply disappointed by the Victorian government's decision to continue culling native Dingoes until 2028 despite their ecological importance and cultural significance to First Nations communities.
The VNPA welcomes the end of the highly flawed bounty program that targeted Dingoes and the government's small investment into non-lethal deterrents.
The 11th-hour consultation process undertaken by the government was poor and left no room for all Victorians to contribute to the future of Dingoes in Victoria.
The VNPA believes the decision was made prior to the full conclusion of the consultation process.
VNPA condemns the continued killing of a vital ecosystem engineer within 3km of National Parks and Protected Areas via baiting, trapping and shooting at taxpayers' expense.
Australian Dingo Foundation Director Mel Browning said:
"The government's decision is gut-wrenching. This decision has been made with little transparency, and that is going to lead to the mass killing of a native species on public land."
VNPA Parks and Nature Campaigner Jordan Crook said:
"We know Dingo are an important part of Australian ecosystems. Continuing to kill them will see the continued decline of our ecosystems. The government must not sit on their hands until 2028 to make a better decision. At minimum, a heap more work needs to be done to trial and embed alternative solutions."
The VNPA will hold a webinar about protecting Dingoes on Wednesday the 25th of September at 6.30pm: https://vnpa.org.au/event/webinar-dingoes/
