Locals are heartbroken after one of the last healthy dingoes was shot and killed near a small town.
Warrigal, a two-year-old female dingo, was shot on a tip near Coral Bay, Western Australia, researcher Brinkley Davies confirmed Thursday.
The naturalist and not-for-profit charity worker had been tracking Warrigal’s movements because of her importance to the local dingo population.
Ms Davies said the shooting was carried out by a paid dogger.
“This senseless act happened just half a mile from the city center on public land,” she said.
“A gun was discharged with no respect for Warrigal, her body or our work. We received no notification and could not take a DNA sample.’
‘Warrigal was not a threat. She was one of the few dingoes without mange – hunting, playing and exploring – who brought hope to her kind.”
The small community of Coral Bay was left devastated by the shooting.
The famous dingo Warrigal was shot and killed on a tip-off in Coral Bay, WA, locals said
“She was a beacon of hope for our project, respected by locals and tourists alike,” Ms Davies said.
Locals recalled their interactions with the animal over the years.
‘I saw this dingo outside the town; he walked next to my car and was so cold. This is terrible,” one person wrote on social media.
“When will the government save lives and not kill?”
‘Absolutely devastating and heartbreaking. It’s time to make a change in legislation and policing about dingoes,” said another.
Dingoes like Warrigal can provide insight into their impact on the natural environment, including how to reduce and manage feral cat populations.
The animals only give birth once a year, and Coral Bay’s dingo population is now precarious, Ms Davies said.
Native wild dogs are protected in Western Australia and cannot be killed on public or Crown land without the relevant approvals.
Killing a dingo without appropriate justification or incentive is also prohibited.
Diver and naturalist Brinkley Davies said the dingo was vital to its species in the area
Ms Davies claimed that when tipped off, an employee heard a gunshot and saw the dog’s body before the dogger carried it away.
She said she had spoken to the council and Western Australia’s Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attraction to understand why the animal was shot.
She is now looking for answers.
‘We want to know why she was shot. We want to know why a firearm was allowed to be fired in a public place, half a mile from the city,” Ms Davies said. Yahoo.
“If there was a problem with Warrigal, why weren’t other options explored first?
She said the community loved the dog.
“She was a big highlight of a lot of people’s times. And Coral Bay is such a small place, and having that kind of bond with an animal that is wild and doesn’t harm anyone is a very special part of living in a place like that.”
The Shire of Carnarvon said it was investigating the matter and asked the public for patience.
They insisted that the municipality was not involved in the murder.
Daily Mail Australia has contacted the Shire of Carnarvon for comment.