This project was a cooperative study between the Queensland Parks and Wildlife Service (QPWS), the Butchulla Aboriginal Corporation, the University of Southern Queensland and the University of Cape Town and was conducted to assess the current genetic status of the wongari population on the island.

The project commenced in 2020, with the overall aim to provide managers with robust and policy-ready information on the genetic health and status of wongari on K’gari – information that also met stakeholder expectations and was widely supported by the scientific community.

Tissue samples from 243 wongari were collected between 1996 and 2020 by QPWS rangers, but conservative sampling requirements and DNA quality checks meant that only 144 samples were analysed for the project. Using genome-wide SNP analysis, the samples were compared to determine genetic similarities among individuals in the K’gari population, along with samples taken from nearby mainland dingoes.

Key findings of the research include:

• comparisons with mainland dingoes from Rainbow Beach and other areas across Australia showed that K’gari wongari are easily distinguishable from mainland dingoes.
• there is no evidence of recent connectivity between dingoes on the mainland and the island, or no evidence that dingoes are moving on or off the island and assimilating into local populations.
• wongari are observed to live in separate packs, but analysis of the number of genetically distinguishable packs revealed that there is only ‘one large pack’ on the island from a genetic point of view. In other words, wongari from different packs mate or mix with each other frequently enough that the observed packs cannot be genetically distinguished from each other; and
• the inbreeding levels of wongari are high on the island and will increase over time in the absence of migrants from the mainland. However, no morphological signs or physical abnormalities associated with inbreeding have been observed and their abundance does not appear to be declining, so it is likely that the population has not yet exceeded its tolerance for inbreeding.

The research also found that the genetic ancestry of the island’s wongari has changed over time, with certain alleles (versions of genes) becoming more prevalent in the past 25 years.

It was considered that this change may be the result of one or more long-lived individuals becoming highly successful at raising litters and spreading their genes throughout the island over many years. The removal of 32 wongari in 2001 might also have contributed to this genetic change.

The research concluded that the change seen in the past has since stabilised, and the current genetic status of the island’s population reflects the current and ongoing ecological and demographic processes within the population.

Overall, it was determined that the wongari on K’gari is a sustainable population, but it will be important to continue to monitor their genetic health for any morphological signs or physical abnormalities associated with inbreeding. A summary report of the project is available here.  

Contributed by Coastal and Islands Region, Queensland Parks and Wildlife Service