The predators have extra protections in the state\u2019s northwest where they are endangered, but the distinction between dingoes and wild dogs is part of a long-running debate between conservationists and farmers.<\/p>\n
Know the news with the 7NEWS app: Download today Arrow<\/a><\/p>\n The costly problem pulls not just at purse strings but also at heart strings \u2014 one one hand, sheep so badly maimed it can move a hardened farmer to tears.<\/p>\n On the other, dwindling dingo numbers straining deep and ancient kinship bonds held by First Nations groups.<\/p>\n It\u2019s a problem with few solutions.<\/p>\n And it\u2019s one which has moved farmer Scott Keller to invoice the Victorian Government for nearly $40,000 over his losses after dogs recently killed more than 160 and sheep and lambs on his property at Rainbow, in the state\u2019s northwest.<\/p>\n Keller has applied for a permit to kill and dispose of three dingoes, which he believes are actually wild dogs undeserving of the native species protection they are receiving.<\/p>\n Amid his fears the permit will not be approved, he struggles to know how to continue farming livestock in the area.<\/p>\n \u201cThere was one ewe that had been attacked that we had to put down \u2014 it had the udder eaten off of it and its guts were nearly hanging out the back between its legs,\u201d he told 7NEWS.<\/p>\n \u201cAt that point my father broke down\u00a0… that\u2019s a bloke who has been farming for 55-odd years and seen a fair bit of crap in his time.\u201d<\/p>\n Keller\u2019s 72-year-old father had begun spending his nights watching the flock, even purchasing a $3000 thermal monocular when the problem continued to get worse over the past six months,.<\/p>\n But his efforts yielded little results.<\/p>\n \u201cIn six weeks we\u2019d lost 33 lambs,\u201d Keller said.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s fairly disheartening.\u201d<\/p>\n Keller doubts the dogs are dingoes \u2014 he told 7NEWS.com.au \u201cthese are nothing like we\u2019ve ever seen before\u201d.<\/p>\n But the debate over the distinction between dingoes and wild dogs has long existed at the intersection of agriculture and conservation in Australia.<\/p>\n Victorian Environment Minister Enver Erdogan acknowledged the \u201congoing debate\u201d when Member for the Eastern Victoria Region Melina Bath questioned him about a spike in livestock attacks in areas of her constituency.<\/p>\n \u201cSince coming to the portfolio, I\u2019ve (had) to familiarise myself with the distinction between wild dogs and dingoes,\u201d Erdogan said.<\/p>\n He said genetic testing has revealed \u201cmany of the alleged wild dogs in regional Victoria … are, in fact, dingoes\u201d. <\/p>\n \u201cWe as a government recognise that dingoes are a protected and culturally significant native species,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n \u201cWe also acknowledge the serious impacts they do have on livestock.\u201d<\/p>\n The Victorian Dingo Unprotection Order established in 2024 to remove protections over dingoes where livestock are at risk, thereby allowing certain control methods, excludes the state\u2019s northwest \u201cdue to the risk of extinction of its local dingo population,\u201d according to the Victorian Government<\/a>.<\/p>\n \u201cIn the northwest of Victoria the focus is on conservation because the Mallee dingo population is at imminent risk of extinction,\u201d Erdogan said.<\/p>\n \u201cThis is a real biodiversity travesty, so we need to take steps to protect them.<\/p>\n \u201cIn eastern Victoria the situation is different … I think the settings are appropriate in the circumstances.\u201d<\/p>\n Genetic testing in 2023<\/a> of a sample of wild dingoes and dogs in Victoria found 87 per cent had pure dingo genetics.<\/p>\n Since then, Bath said in parliament, attacks on livestock have increased by 80 per cent, while the agricultural industry argues<\/a> the genetics data is out of date.<\/p>\n While Keller has suspicions about the genetic variations of dingoes in the northwest, he has no doubts about the bloodline of his merino flock and the price one pays for purity.<\/p>\n \u201cOur sheep are self-replacing merino.\u00a0Som this is a bloodline that\u2019s been going for 40 years to 45 years,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n Self-replacing merino farmers use a breeding system that focuses on females. Ewe lambs are monitored and the best are kept to replace the older ewes, to maintain the best traits of the bloodline, rather than buying in replacements from outside flocks.<\/p>\n This means the business losses related to dingo or dog attacks on female lambs do not just include wool sales but also the future of the farmer\u2019s breeding system.<\/p>\n As the state government finalises details<\/a> for a $2 million support package targeting the problem in the northwest, Keller said that, on the ground, the viability of sheep farming in the region is a \u201chot topic\u201d.<\/p>\n \u201cThere\u2019s not many people with stock left up our way,\u201d Keller said.<\/p>\n \u201cDo we just go and sell all the stock and get rid of them all out of the district altogether?\u201d<\/p>\n On the other side of the debate, Erdogan said the dingo eradication risk is a problem which runs deeper than money for some people.<\/p>\n \u201cThe dingo, to many Traditional Owner groups that I\u2019ve spoken to, is not just a native species,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019re talking about kinship. It\u2019s a totem animal, it\u2019s part of family for many Traditional Owners.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n AI tech giving lifeguards \u2018eyes in the back of their head\u2019<\/p>\n 1 min read<\/p>\n![\"Scott](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/australia\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/5328b03699926212702eb98c35e057f2739fec18.jpg\")
Scott Keller has invoiced the government nearly $40,000 for his losses after dingo or wild dog attacks on his farm in Victoria\u2019s northwest, where the at-risk dingo population have extra protections. Credit: Supplied<\/p>\n![\"Member](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/australia\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/f2c3b62477b0b4cf12b4e06a3b9f4c0ffcb0201e.jpg\")
Member for the Eastern Victoria Region Melina Bath questioned Victorian Environment Minister Enver Erdogan over impact of dingoes on livestock farmers in northwest Victoria. Credit: Victorian Parliament<\/p>\n![\"Keller](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/australia\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/a6383d7cdb517d15b8e7b490e32d9828505162b6.jpg\")
Keller believes the dingoes killing livestock on his property are actually feral dogs or hybrids. Credit: Supplied<\/p>\n![\"Keller](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/australia\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/500f6573f3399ef32ac0aa9300a85c6c7e83418a.jpg\")
Keller said the constant discovery of mauled sheep is not just distressing, it is destroying his farming operation. Credit: Supplied<\/p>\n