DINGO
The dingo (Canis familiaris) is an opportunistic generalist predator (Table 14.4). Cannibalism has been reported due to high levels of aggression between packs and increased population density as opposed to starvation as the main motivation (Meek and Brown 2017).
Observations of dingoes scavenging and feeding on waste from urban dwellings are also becoming increasingly common (Behrendorff et al. 2016)The GI anatomy is no different to that of the domestic dog however some evolutionary physiological differences are evident that may suggest the cat is a more appropriate animal model (Table 14.1). Microbial communities in the gastrointestinal tract of domestic dogs were found to have higher capacity for fermentation of starches compared to dingoes (Field et al. 2022), further suggesting that diet formulation should follow that of the obligate carnivore model, the cat. Dingoes lack salivary amylase and the amylase gene (AMY2B) expansion seen in dogs is limited, restricting their ability to digest starch (Freedman et al.
2014). The domestic dog is also adapted for increased glucose uptake because of greater hepatic glucokinase activity, and it can be assumed that like cats and wolves, this ability is limited in the dingo (Bosch et al. 2015). Dietary management of dingoes in managed care should limit dog kibble and revolve around whole prey and carcass feeding, with a broad variety of species at an intake rate of 4-5% BW d-1 (Hulst 2008).
11.