This Fraser Island dingo was 'collared' by rangers, but found dead on the Fraser Island beach by a tourist. "I think that that is a very real possibility, sadly," Dr Cairns said. "Particularly if the population remains quite small as it is now. "And, again, we still don't actually know how many dingoes there are on the island, because they have not done a proper scientific population survey of the dingoes." Dr Cairns' study – soon to be published in scientific journals – says there are "real doubts" the purebred dingo on Fraser Island could survive.

"Strong inbreeding was observed in the Fraser Island dingo population," her study, which examines three main dingo breeds in Australia, finds. "These findings have significant implications for the management and conservation of dingoes," it continues. Conservationists and dingo handlers on Tuesday called on the Queensland government to begin a detailed dingo DNA study. However Queensland's Department of Environment and Heritage Protection rejected suggestions Fraser Island dingoes were threatened and said a "pilot" DNA study had started. A research paper, by Dr Ben Allen of the University of Queensland, published in the Australian Journal of Environmental Management on April 13, 2015, estimated there was a stable population of 162 dingoes (76 adults and 86 pups) in 19 "dingo packs" on Fraser Island.

However that number had dropped from over 300 dingoes in the 1990s. The department said it had recently asked University of Sunshine Coast researcher Dr Gabriel Conroy to investigate Fraser Island dingo DNA using dingo "scats" or faeces samples. Neil Cambourn, executive director of regional operations east at QPWS, said it was difficult to measure Fraser Island's dingo populations because of the inaccessible forest on Fraser Island. "This research aims to provide an estimate of the current Fraser Island dingo population size and a genetic profile of the Fraser Island dingo population," Mr Cambourn said. "In a parallel study, the Sunshine Coast University researchers will analyse these samples with 200 that were collected over the past decade," he said.

Thirteen dingoes have been killed on Fraser Island after being hit by 4WDs since 2013. Also 110 dingoes between 2001 and 2013 have been "humanely" put down by rangers, however the research paper by Dr Allen counts an average of 80 dingo pups born to the 19 dingo "packs" every year. "This data suggests that current humane destruction practices are unlikely to have short-term or long-term adverse impacts on the breeding success or sustainability of the island's dingo population," the Allen report says. However, conservationists say dingo pups have a "high mortality rate" and instead question the declining number of adult dingoes. Dr Ernest Healy, of Australia's National Dingo Preservation and Recovery Program, said the organisation believes Fraser Island's dingo population has struggled since 31 dingoes were culled by the Queensland government in 2001 after 9-year-old Clinton Gage was killed by a dingo.

"Now if you are to take their claims that there were between 100 to 200 animals there then, that is a big proportion of the total population that was taken out," he said. "It was a meaningless cull, but in terms of the genetics, it was terribly significant because it was a high proportion of the population." Kingaroy dingo handler and breeder Simon Stretton says purebred Fraser Island dingoes will be gone in 10 years. He estimates 13 per cent of the current dingo population – which he also estimates at "between 50 and 70" – are hybrid, cross-bred with dogs brought over by forestry workers 20 years ago. "Yes, we need to do a DNA study, but in order to do that you need to be on the island – not walking up the beach one day a week – but camping over there, until it is done," he said.