Researchers using drones have captured the behaviours of wild dingoes while hunting macropods in Namadgi National Park.

 The research findings, published in a CSIRO paper, conclude that dingoes display predatory behaviours similar to those documented in wolves and that dingoes are a behaviourally complex top predator in the Australian landscape.

 Drawing on footage initially captured by wildlife documentary cinematographers, the researchers filmed hunting events using a long lens fitted to either a drone or helicopter.

 Without the use of drones or helicopters, these hunting behaviours would have been extremely challenging to observe from the ground using traditional methods. The footage includes some of the first video records published in the scientific literature of the behaviours used by dingoes to hunt and kill macropod prey, as well as some rare observations of mother and pup hunting dynamics.

 The researchers highlight the use of drones as a valuable approach for directly observing wild behaviours, saying they offer a minimally invasive and relatively inexpensive and accessible alternative to helicopters.

 The project is also a case study exemplifying the value of collaborations between filmmakers and researchers that enable the sharing of archival documentary footage to study wild animal behaviour.

https://www.publish.csiro.au/wr/pdf/WR22033?fbclid=IwY2xjawKTRtdleHRuA2FlbQIxMABicmlkETFxYnZXWlprQ2lDeUdWZVF5AR4YT0_01KtvoDzR69R024N_YSbainFHLliN-aGoSsWAAHsjLzcSgOqN2EZZOA_aem_I3ZxY2ItXeeELPVyYLeHPg