77 Wilkerr Left: A Population on the Edge

I am so proud to have contributed to this immensely important research, but sharing the results truly breaks my heart.

For five years I have watched this Wilkerr (dingo in Wergaia language) population. I have seen pups grow strong, and others disappear. I know their faces from one end of the park to the other. I have watched them hunt as a family, teaching their youngsters how to bring down a roo. I have seen individuals trying to make it on their own. I have seen injuries and deformities. I have seen them at their strongest and at their weakest. I have seen them mate, I have even seen them poo. There is not much behaviour I have not witnessed from this population.

This research shows that approximately 77 Wilkerr remain (95% CrI = 64-94). Seventy-seven might sound like a reasonable number, but for a wild population it is critically low. At this size they face inbreeding, a loss of genetic diversity, and a much higher risk of collapse from disease, fire, or simple bad luck. To put it in perspective, the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) lists any population with fewer than 250 mature individuals as Critically Endangered.

Without genetic rescue, the Wilkerr population most likely will not survive. Knowing them as I do makes this truth so hard to accept. These are not just numbers on a page to me. They are living, breathing animals with families, struggles, and stories.

This research matters because it shows clearly how fragile their future is and why action cannot wait.

I want to thank Amanda Lo Cascio for all her incredible work. Some of the things you have created and shown me are truly mind blowing. Euan Martin Ritchie, thank you for everything you do for this very special population and for giving me the opportunity to contribute. Rachel Mason, I do not think this research would have happened without the volunteer opportunities during your PhD, so thank you for letting me tag along. And of course, thank you to the other co-authors: Dave Ramsay, Ange Pestell, William Geary and Will Sowersby.

The study is available to read here: https://ecoevorxiv.org/repository/view/10200/

Please note that this is a pre-print. The study has been submitted for peer review but has not yet been formally accepted or published.