Airdate: Dingo: Wild Dog At War

This Sunday night ABC1 screens Dingo: Wild Dog at War, which asks whether the dingo is really a villain?

Cue the oh-so obvious references…..

Follow one man’s journey to unravel the myths and the truths about Australia’s native wild dog: the dingo.

The dingo, Australia’s native dog, is a lightning rod of public opinion: hated, feared, respected and loved. To some, they’re evil: stealing babies and destroying livestock. To others, they’re a persecuted animal that’s key to the health of our ecosystem – and part of the solution to the invasion of exotic species.

Farmer and dog trainer Dave Graham sets out to uncover the truth, and confront his own fears about dingoes. Dave’s spent a lifetime trying to protect his sheep from dingoes, but as a dog behaviourist, he respects these wild canines. He’s on a quest to find a way for man and dingo to coexist as the survival of purebred dingoes and native fauna hangs in the balance.

The dingo is at war. It’s a bloody battle with cats, foxes and each other for precious resources in an unforgiving land. Theirs is an insidious struggle for existence, as their gene pool is diluted by feral dogs.

And it’s a constant conflict with man wherever dingoes, livestock and people cross paths. But is the dingo really a villain?

Dave meets farmers, scientists, and government researchers with vastly opposing views – from eradication to systematic culling, to a natural order where dingoes are left alone. He witnesses the devastation dingoes can inflict on livestock and the role they can play in restoring native habitats. And finally, Dave comes face to face with the animal he’s feared and loathed for most of his life… and finds a surprising connection.

7:30pm Sunday, 8 December ABC1