Animals Australia’s Legal Team has filed proceedings in the Supreme Court of Victoria on behalf of dingoes being cruelly trapped, poisoned and shot in the state.
Dingoes, despite their status as threatened native animals in Victoria, are still being targeted and killed to appease the interests of the animal agriculture industry.
In March 2024, we were ready to head to court over this very same issue: the state government’s Order in Council that allowed dingoes to be killed in some of the cruellest ways. But just eight days out from our trial date, the Victorian Government announced it would reduce the scope of the legalised killing.
While we celebrated this step forward, the reality is that most dingoes across the state continues to face extreme and prolonged suffering. The government endorsed three more years of this Order, which continues to serve as an ‘eradication program’ for this unique threatened species, alarming experts who have warned they are “hurtling towards extinction”.
It’s important for all of us to understand that we are on the precipice of wiping out yet another native animal who is integral to the balance of our ecosystem.
This government decision also ignores pleas from Traditional Owners, which is why this time in court we are joining forces with a powerful co-litigant, proud Wadawurrung woman, researcher and archaeologist, Kelly Ann Blake.
This image contains content which some may find confronting
Removing the protection of Darrwal/Kaal [dingo] strips away legal recognition but also spiritual and cultural respect.
Our case, which was covered in The Age (26 April 2025), will argue that not only does the government’s endorsed killing program cause suffering to dingoes and threaten the future of an entire species, but it also causes immense suffering to First Nations Peoples for whom dingoes hold powerful cultural and spiritual significance.
The survival of native dingo populations in Victoria is hanging in the balance – they don’t have three years to spare. So, together, we are ensuring they are given a voice.
Thanks to our supporters making this action possible, our Legal Team is working tirelessly to ensure that dingoes – and all who care for them – are represented in Victoria’s highest court, and that ultimately these animals are protected, respected, and cherished.
Our trial date for dingoes is fast approaching. Please consider a gift to our Wildlife Protection Fund today.
Every dollar raised will fund critical legal action like this action to protect Victoria’s native dingoes, and fuel our global public campaigns to create a kinder future for Australian wildlife under threat.
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