#Kids4Dingos

The Dingo Discovery Sanctuary and Research Centre is proudly running the #Kids4Dingos, an inspiring online display of dingo letters, paintings, and pictures created by children across Australia. Keep scrolling for the gallery…

This provides children and students across Australia with a creative outlet to show their appreciation and support for our sanctuary’s work in education, research, and conservation. It allows their voices to be heard by state and federal ministers, encouraging them to protect dingos.

Aussie kids are creating a movement to protect dingos

This movement led by Aussie kids follows a recent petition to end the wholesale killing of dingos, which has been signed by more than 10,000 people. The voices of Australia’s children are now being amplified through this campaign, showing their love and support for dingos.

Children can send letters, paintings and drawings to:

Dingo Discovery Sanctuary and Research Centre, P.O. Box 502, Gisborne, Victoria, 3437

(or parents/guardians can post to Instagram and tag @DingoDiscovery)

Inspiration from Wandi and Kimmi books

The beloved Wandi and Kimmi books, written by award-winning author Favel Parrett, have touched the hearts of children nationwide. Inspired by these stories, the Dingo Discovery Sanctuary and Research Centre has received hundreds of heartfelt letters and drawings from children, expressing their desire to save dingos from poison, traps, and guns.

#Kids4Dingos Gallery

Open the gallery >

Remember to join our Facebook and Instagram accounts to follow along with more dingo letters, paintings and drawings:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/dingoHQ
Instagram: https://instagram.com/DingoDiscovery

Giving Aussie kids a voice in dingo conservation

With such an influx of correspondence, our 100% volunteer-run sanctuary hasn’t had the time or resources to respond to each letter individually. Therefore, we’ve created the #Kids4Dingos campaign to publish these letters and drawings on social media. Our goal is to publicly answer some of the questions raised by our next generation and clear up misconceptions about dingos.

“We want to give kids a voice, and it’s clear the Wandi and Kimmi books have resonated with children and students across Australia,” says Lyn Watson of the Dingo Discovery Sanctuary and Research Centre. “If you have children or students who love dingos, please ask them to write to us or send drawings, comments, and questions, and we will publish them on Facebook and Instagram.”

This campaign provides children and students across Australia with a creative outlet to show their appreciation and support for our sanctuary’s work in education, research, and conservation. Additionally, it allows their voices to be heard by state and federal ministers, encouraging them to protect dingos.

How adults can help – Become a Dingo Defender

Are you passionate about protecting dingos? Become a Dingo Defender and help us spread the word about the importance of dingo conservation! Here are some ways you can officially join this campaign:

1. Record a short clip and tag us. Share your passion for dingos by recording a short video (and tag @dingodiscovery on Instagram). Tell us why you love dingos, why they should be protected, and what others can do to help. Send us your video, and we may feature it on our social media channels!

2. Spread the word: Share our campaign page and your video with friends and family. Use the hashtag #Kids4Dingos and encourage others to join the movement.

3. Sign the petition: 10,000 signatures and counting!

4. Use the campaign QR Code: Share the QR code flyer here on your social media, in your community, or at events. This will direct people to our campaign page, where they can learn more about how to help protect dingos.

5. Write to your local MP (template). Help your child or student write a letter to your local MP advocating for the protection of dingos.

6. Donate: Make a tax-deductible donation here towards education, conservation and research.

A few reasons why dingo killing needs to stop

1. Dingos are a culturally and spiritually significant species to First Nations peoples.

2. Dingoes are a keystone species, that protect biodiversity. Australia’s native animals have survived and thrived under the protection of dingoes for thousands of years, shaped by nature to perform the critical role as Australia’s native apex land predators, providing ecosystem resilience and stability. Dingoes pick of the old, weak, injured or diseased, ensuring genetically strong and healthy populations of their native prey species. Dingoes are 24/7 pest controllers that suppress invasive species such as feral goats, rabbits, pigs, foxes and feral cats as well as regulate larger native herbivores such as kangaroos ensuring healthy flora and fauna diversity as well as soil health.

3. Recent research has proven that wild Canids in Victoria are overwhelmingly pure dingoes of high conservation value.

4. Beyond ‘Wilkerr’ dingos, the health of the other remnant populations of dingoes in Victoria is largely unknown and could be at serious risk of extinction.

5. Livestock losses to dingoes have been historically inconsequential. e.g. Representing less than 0.02% of the Victorian sheep population, even prior to the coordinated pro-active killing of dingoes orchestrated by the introduction of the National Wild Dog Action Plan in 2014. ’Wild Dogs’ [dingoes] are reported to cause damage estimated at $15 – $18 million each year in Victoria but this figure has no bearing on actual livestock losses with hundreds more dingoes killed each year than the miniscule number of reported livestock losses of between 200-500 / year out of a total flock size of 15 million.

6. The broadscale, relentless and indiscriminate eradication of dingoes from the landscape is not justified, effective or humane and has detrimental impacts on dingoes fulfilling their keystone role as apex land predators putting ecological balance and biodiversity at serious risk.

7. There are much more efficient and effective ways of protecting sheep than the killing of dingoes, to work with nature to protect livestock and dingoes.

Contacts