Nyinggulu Dingo Project - Ningaloo Coast, Western Australia 

The Dingo, Australia’s native, ancient indigenous apex land predators, are similar to the grey wolves of Europe and North America. They are wild and ‘pure’. They are the keepers of healthy ecosystems. They should never be underestimated.  But sadly they are. 

On the Ningaloo (Nyinggulu) Coast in Western Australia, our Nyinggulu Dingo Project – is determined to give our dingoes the attention, care and investment that they deserve. We are “ Howling for Change” 

Please join us in ensuring the wellbeing and survival of these beautiful and important, unique Australians by supporting this project!

For our native Dingoes. For our wilderness. And for us all.

WHO IS BEHIND THIS?

Hi, I’m Brinkley Davies, founder of the Balu Blue Foundation and the Nyinggulu Dingo Project.

I’m a Freediver, Surfer, and Marine Biologist by trade. I’ve travelled the world following my passion for wildlife and the ocean. In 2016 I founded the Balu Blue Foundation. It’s a registered environmental charity that works to protect Australian wildlife and their habitats. 

My goal is to reconnect people with nature in an incredibly special way. I’ve worked globally on many different campaigns. I speak up for animals all over the world. I’ve surfed competitively from the ages of 10 to 20 years old. I got my degree in Marine Biology and have more than 15 years experience in the water with marine wildlife, and on land, throughout multiple wildlife conservation and wildlife rescue projects.

I fell in love with the wilderness of the Ningaloo region of Western Australia and all its wild-ness - sea and land creatures. I have been lucky enough to make my home here for the last decade. 

When I founded Balu Blue, I initially focused on only marine ecosystems.

But now I’m determined to look after the local environment here as a whole. The sea, and the range, and right now, the Dingoes.

ABOUT THE NYINGGULU DINGO PROJECT  

The Nyinggulu Dingo Project aims to address the misunderstood status of the native Dingo on the Ningaloo Coast in Western Australia by treating welfare issues like injuries and the invader parasite that gives our dingoes mange. We also want to advocate for the many benefits the dingo brings to the landscape, which further protects the land. As well as remove the risks dingoes are at from disease, poison baiting, and trapping.

Our project now provides welfare support for injured dingoes, while simultaneously monitoring their population. 

We track their population, act on wellness cases and injuries, and implement conservation efforts with the help of volunteers, veterinarians, and our expert advisory board.

Our vision is a future where Dingoes are respected as a crucial part of the ecology here. As critical ecosystem engineers and keepers of ‘Country’, they protect the balance of life in the landscape, and enhance its experience for locals and visitors.

But right now , most of our Dingoes are suffering, from neglect, lack of understanding and the parasite Mange.

The good news is with little funding, and supported by a group of volunteers, we launched the Nyinggulu Dingo Project in 2024.

Now we want to improve our ability to monitor the dingoes, report on them, and especially treat the injured ones. 

In Phase 1 we built a database of photos and videos to identify the individual Dingoes that required parasite treatment.

‘Citizen scientists’ helped by submitting their own recordings.

Our voluntary team is equipped to treat injured individual wild animals, and uses medication for those dingoes suffering from mange. We know we can prevent the condition from spreading with help and support. 

During this initial phase of the project, we established connections with researchers globally, who work with dingoes in other states, or other canines, such as African Wild dogs, in South Africa. We saw eye to eye with programs in partnership with Taronga Zoo, that monitor Dingo populations over East. They share their research insights and best monitoring practices with us. 

I also obtained a permit from the Veterinary Surgeons Board to provide onsite treatment in the field for wildlife care. This included training in in-field sedation, which will allow us to use efficient and ethical treatment to track our dingo packs. 

I was trained in chemical sedation and darting under an experienced wildlife carer and relocation expert from the area surrounding Perth. Which sadly, has seen years of wildlife rescue and emergency care due to its high fire risk. 

All of my advisors, included above, are part of our Advisory Board for this project. 

 THE CHALLENGE

Our big challenge is to continuously monitor our wild dingo population in such a broad landscape. This is crucial for us to prioritise the dingo's welfare. We need to monitor their current threats. We need to act fast on the threats and on other welfare situations. This challenge is huge in an area as vast as the Ningaloo Coast!

To do this properly, we need investment. With donations we can step up our work and move into what we’re calling Phase 2.

And that’s what this fundraising campaign is for.

Mange, caused by invasive parasites, can be effectively treated. But the vastness of the landscape and the distances between sightings often result in delayed responses to urgent dingo welfare reports.

Also, because dingoes are skittish, successfully finding or capturing sick dingoes using nets or cage traps is extremely rare and unreliable. It also really stresses the animal, and we disagree ethically with these methods. 

Dingoes in our area have also learnt to avoid conventional cage traps. But we often see them running alongside roads. So, by car, they can be in close enough range for us to sedate them using a dart gun, a blow dart, or jab stick. This is now regarded as the safest, most effective and reliable way to apply tracking devices and conduct health assessments. We now know it’s the only dependable way to engage with our wild animals. This is a technique I have had experience with in Africa in wildlife care and monitoring big cats and African Hunting Dogs. 

With support and finance we’ll be able to get tracking devices onto our threatened dingoes. We’ll get rid of the guesswork and cut back the hours we need to search visually.

We’ll be able to regularly monitor our wild animals, facilitate timely treatment for parasites, prevent mange, and report on progress. We’ll also be able to track other behaviours for conservation and research purposes, which will benefit the region overall. 

WHY THIS MATTERS

Dingoes are very special animals. They are our only native canid. They are a critical lynchpin if we are to recover, regenerate and sustain our unique wild ecosystem.

For example, when it comes to displaced or non-native animals in the landscape such as cats, a recent study of the elusive, very rare and now threatened night parrot has shown that dingoes benefit them and other ground birds. Dingoes do this by hunting and preying on feral cats. They remove or scare them off. It has also been studied and proven that the presence of healthy dingoes deters foxes sharing the landscape. This research is proof that, with a healthy dingo population, baiting and lethal control programs can be phased out. 

Findings such as these will be really valuable additions to our research while studying dingoes as we monitor the presence or absence of other animals in the region through our trail cameras. 

Together we can help protect our unique and valuable pockets of wild-ness - our animals and our Country. Did you know that the world’s re-wilding projects help address climate change, biodiversity loss, and other environmental and societal issues as well? 

By coming together to protect dingoes, we help to rebalance nature and save these quite beautiful animals from introduced parasites like Mange. If, like me, you love animals and hate to see them suffer, I hope you will join me in helping them.

WHAT WE’RE FUNDRAISING FOR

Phase 1 of the Nyinggulu Dingo Project was done with a very limited budget. To do our project properly we need additional investment in equipment and people.

We want to add to and share the data we gathered in Phase 1. We want to be able to dart and collar them for tracking so we can watch over these amazing animals more closely and gather data on their threats. This also benefits local councils and government departments by equipping us with ethical action plans and solutions if there is a conflict situation with a dingo. Or if relocation is required. 

We know our project can be more efficient. We know we can get better at both managing mange and researching and studying the dingo population.

Our immediate goal is to move quickly to prevent and treat mange, injuries, or any suffering involved in high conflict areas.

We’ll also work to prevent our region from other risks to predators, such as foot-hold trapping, and advocate for alternatives for baiting practices. Baiting is not necessary in a region where dingoes are present. It poses a huge threat to biodiversity and to animals including birds of prey, carnivorous lizards, or small scavengers like hopping mice. We’ll boost our advocacy for better measures in our local areas and use the data we gather to help protect Dingoes from conflict. We will be able to ensure their overall health, and provide valuable DNA information for conservation and research efforts.

We need crucial funding for: 

• Trail Cameras and Equipment - Reconyx Hyperfire Trail Cameras x 10 // Cards and Data Storage 
• Tracking Equipment - 10+ GPS Tracking Collars and Software
• In Field Mange Treatment Packs - Bravecto Spot On Treatment for Medium>Large Dogs x 40*
• Veterinary Pool - to cover all medication and treatment necessary, emergency response, transport equipment, sedatives, in-clinic costs
• Travel and Logistical Costs to Site, Rescues, Call-Outs
• All Project Management - Administrative, Data Sorting, Reporting, Management

These investments are for Phase 2 of the project.

This crowdfunding campaign is to raise the funds for those investments.

To get there, we need your help!

GET INVOLVED

Please help me support these beautiful and important native predators by donating to the campaign.

And when you contribute, please share our campaign with your friends and social media networks and tell them why it matters! 

Personal sharing is the most important thing for crowdfunding success.

In addition to supporting these necessary investments in equipment, staff and medicine to better monitor and treat local Dingoes, you can be rewarded for your contribution.

We will be gathering an array of fun prizes to draw at the end of the fundraiser, we will randomly select names from the donors lists, and winners will be chosen. If you would like to stay in the loop with what prizes are on offer throughout the fundraiser, stay in touch with our social media account @balubluefoundation on Instagram. 

You can also select ‘no reward’ if you prefer, and also choose to remain anonymous.

Imagery and Videos - Courtesy of Blue Media Exmouth, Andre Rerekura Creative, Brinkley Davies, and Balu Blue Foundation 

Nyinggulu Dingo Project is a licensed project, backed by a DPIRD Scientific License, and Wildlife Animal Ethics Committee, approved for Phase 2 operations. 

We also have political level support from the wonderful Animal Justice Party, and Wild Orphan Dingo Rescue support from Perth Dingo Rescue. 

Balu Blue Foundation is a Registered Charity, and Environmental Organisation, which is also DGR endorsed.