‘ Death row dingo’ bid pays off for council

HINCHINBROOK Shire Council will be recompensed by the State Government for the $ 86,000 it spent attempting to remove two “death- row dingoes” on Pelorus Island.

The dogs were introduced to the island in a bid to kill destructive feral goats.

The once 300- strong population of goats has been reduced to a handful of animals and the habitat is showing signs of regeneration.

Time is running out for the dingoes, which were implanted with a time- activated poison.

Hinchinbrook Mayor Ramon Jayo said the fact they were recompensed was vindication that its controversial yet effective program was legal and that opposition by former state environment minister Steven Miles was unfounded.

“We maintained the fact that we shouldn’t have to ( remove the dingoes) and wear those costs because what we did was totally lawful and the minister’s actions were erroneous and wrong,” he said.

Cr Jayo said goats had overgrazed the tropical island within the Great Barrier Reef National Park, which had led to environmental degradation, including damage to rare littoral rainforest, and erosion.

The council had determined that controlling the goat population through predation was the best solution, he said.

“Then when we undertook the activity, we received a fair bit of flak from animal libertarians and the minister ( Stephen Miles) did a backflip and asked us to stop,” Cr Jayo said.

He said the total cost to council to comply with the minister’s order was $ 86,000 and “they have now paid us back for it.”