OUR DINGOES

Careful selection over many years has ensured a genetically diverse, pure dingo gene pool collection at the Sanctuary. Dingoes are either wild-born or captive-bred, ranging from all parts of Australia. Since DNA testing became available in 1994, all of the breeding lines at the Sanctuary have been subjected to molecular examination, which has been carried out by world-renowned molecular biologist, Professor Alan Wilton, at the University of NSW. The Dingo Discovery Sanctuary and Research Centre now houses the largest number of pure, unrelated dingo bloodlines in the world.

Not only are our dingoes pure, but also they are, for the most part, tractable and socialised. We make a point of handling and socialising all puppies to better equip them for life in a captive environment. However, this in no way impairs their natural instincts nor “domesticates” the species, and we remain vigilant against any forms of natural weakness, which would be naturally selected against in the wild. That is why our policy is never to see the dingo as a “breed”, under the artificial selection processes of canine associations.

Whilst our colony consists of mostly the “alpine” dingo ecotype, and the mtDNA of all dingoes is virtually identical, we strive to keep all ecotypes, including “desert” and “tropical”, separate in our breeding program.

Alpine Dingoes

Alpine dingoes are found in high elevation areas of the Australian Alps along eastern Australia. They are mostly ginger in colour, whilst in forested areas the fur can be a darker tan to black. During late autumn the grow a second thicker coat for warmth which usually sheds by mid to late spring.

Desert Dingoes

Desert dingoes are reddish, golden yellow, or sand colored with a compact body size and a fine coat. They are found broadly across Central Australia.

Tropical Dingoes

The Tropical dingo is located in the forests and wetlands across north and north-western Australia.  They have a finer stature, lack the double coat the other dingo types, and are generally ginger and creamy white in colour.

K’gari (Fraser Island) Dingoes

On Fraser Island, dingoes are normally a ginger or a golden sandy colour.