A leading Australian wild-dog control expert says he has growing concerns about the pest moving into forests and bushland on the outskirts of Victoria's cities and towns.
The Department of Energy, Environment and Climate Action recorded 89 farm related incidents involving wild dogs, from Whittlesea, to Marysville and Neerim South in 2022.
A DEECA spokesperson said smaller farms, running sheep, calves and alpacas, had all experienced livestock losses.
"Wild dog incursions into the peri-urban environment have increased," the spokesperson said.
Domestic dogs had been killed by wild dogs in areas of the Dandenongs, from Lysterfield Lake to Gembrook and Warburton, the spokesperson said.
Centre for Invasive Species National National Wild Dog Management Coordinator Greg Mifsud said the resource-rich, but fragmented, landscapes surrounding Australia's cities and towns allowed wild dogs to live in smaller patches of vegetation.
In Victoria the predominant type of wild dogs were dingoes, he said.
"The issue is the more urbanised the areas become, the more limitations you have on the control tools you can use," Mr Mifsud said.
"You have a mix of lifestyle blocks and hobby farms interspersed between bushland, so it becomes very difficult to apply the broad scale control techniques we would use in more remote or agricultural locations.
As more and more people moved into peri-urban areas, operating hobby farms, the capacity to control wild dogs became "much more difficult.
"It really does complicate and intensify the issue once you get those dogs in an urban setting," he said.
"Control techniques become more difficult to apply and - in some cases - become restrictive because of the requirements around poison use and other measures."
READ MORE: Maremmas 'fierce protectors'
He said wild dogs were highly adaptive, as dingoes had demonstrated.
"They can move within landscapes and live quite comfortably, provided there are sufficient food sources available," he said.
"There would be nothing preventing, or limiting, their movement into peri-urban areas."
The strong Victorian control program, carried out to stop wild dogs moving outside of a three kilometre buffer around public lands, had done a very good job of limiting their spread.
"The risk is if we lose that control program, dingoes would move right across the state," he said.
He said raising awareness was one key.
"Ultimately these dogs look like a domestic dog, or a kelpie cross, but don't have a collar," he said. "People just assume they are someone's domestic dog, without a collar that's running loose of a night time."
Auravale Alpacas, Belgrave South, had two young alpacas killed by a dog, last month.
Co-owner Lynda Holdsworth said the dog also entered the bottom paddocks and was witnessed being scared off by the more mature alpaca herd.
"The Wild Dog Controller was unable to confirm whether this was likely to be a wild or domestic dog," she said.
"The dog was also seen on more than one occasion, the week before it killed and attacked a small flock of sheep about a kilometre away."
Ms Holdsworth said the controller and other sources had told her there were packs of wild dogs living in the Cardinia Dam Reserve and in other areas around the Dandenongs.
"We are currently spending a considerable amount of time and money improving our perimeter fences and bringing our animals in at night," she said.
Yarra Ranges shire Director of Communities Jane Price said although DEECA and Agriculture Victoria were the managing authorities wild dogs, the council looked forward to strengthening its connection with them.
"We'll be working to share information from our state counterparts that may be relevant for community members, such as meetings, important tips or developments in this space, and will continue to work with DEECA and Agriculture Victoria when we receive reports of wild dog attacks," she said.
"We encourage our community members - particularly those near our state forests and national parks to stay tuned to DEECA and Agriculture Victoria's social media channels and websites to get the latest information about wild dog management.
Meanwhile, a booklet, Best-Practice Management of Wild Dogs in Peri-Urban Environments has been written specifically for people living in areas with a mixture of rural, residential and commercial land uses.
Co-author Biosecurity Queensland principal scientist Matthew Gentle said the guide detailed the key aspects of the biology and ecology of peri-urban wild dogs, as well as information on their impacts and management approaches.
"Wild dogs do not respect property boundaries: in peri-urban areas small property sizes mean that their impacts are not isolated to individual landholders, so people need to work together and discuss the issues they're facing with others in the community," he said.
"This new guide is an invaluable resource for landholders and community members looking to decide on the best methods for managing wild dogs in their area."
Dr Gentle urged landholders and members of the community wanting to manage wild dogs to keep records of wild dog activity and impacts.
Andrew Miller
I'm a general reporter with Stock & Land, with a special interest in irrigation issues. I completed my cadetship, with the Age, in 1980. Over my career, I've worked for ABC radio news (Mt Isa, Qld) and at provincial and suburban newspapers.
I'm a general reporter with Stock & Land, with a special interest in irrigation issues. I completed my cadetship, with the Age, in 1980. Over my career, I've worked for ABC radio news (Mt Isa, Qld) and at provincial and suburban newspapers.
