Purebred Alpine Dingo, Rare and Endangered, Found in Northeast Victoria

23,891 次觀看・3 年前

A DNA test has confirmed that a wild dingo puppy found alone near Jamieson, Victoria, in June is the second purebred alpine dingo – an endangered species – to be found in two years, the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) reported.

The dingo, named Sooty, was taken into the care of the Australian Dingo Foundation (ADF) at its Dingo Discovery Sanctuary and Research Centre, northwest of Melbourne, and was determined to be five or six weeks old. “It’s very likely his parents were killed, either by hunters or by poison,” the foundation said.

Footage shared by the ADF shows Sooty playing with fabric tassels, listening to commands, and romping around with a friend.

On its website, the ADF notes that despite Sooty’s “unique colouring,” the DNA results showed that he was “a pure dingo just like Wandi,” a ginger-colored wild alpine dingo who was found injured in 2019 in a Wandiligong backyard.

“Despite years of misinformation campaigns, pure dingoes still persist in the wild in Victoria! It’s important now to continue to conserve our populations,” the ADF wrote on Facebook.

Dr Kylie Cairns of the the UNSW Centre for Ecosystem Science, who carried out Sooty’s DNA test, said he “shows no evidence of domestic dog ancestry and he is a further reminder that wild dingoes do persist in Victoria,” according to the ABC. Credit: Australian Dingo Foundation via Storyful