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Context Predation, although a natural process, can represent a key risk to threatened species, particularly when populations reach critically low levels or where invasive predators are concerned. In Australia, dingoes may prey on key populations of threatened ground-nesting native species, such as shorebirds, malleefowl, and turtles. In such circumstances, contemporary predator management generally involves excluding or extirpating dingoes from the landscape, but their removal can have unwanted and cascading consequences on ecosystems. Non-lethal approaches to deter dingoes on a local scale while maintaining them in the wider landscape are therefore worthy of investigation. Aim We conducted a playback experiment to assess whether ultrasonic signals could deter dingoes. Our aim was to assess the potential of ultrasonic signals as a non-lethal localised deterrent for mammalian predators that could be used to protect fixed conservation assets, such as the nests of threatened species. Methods We deployed ultrasonic playback units along bush trails within the Myall Lakes Region in New South Wales to assess whether ultrasonic sounds deterred dingoes, and recorded behavioural responses using camera-traps. Key results Ultrasonic signals were effective in deterring dingoes from local sites and affected their behaviour. Conclusion Ultrasonic signals can be aversive to dingoes and further research to explore their potential use to protect threatened species at specific sites, such as nest sites, is warranted. Such work would include demonstrating deterrence from food resources, and nest-deterrence trials. Implications The use of ultrasonic deterrents could provide a targeted, non-lethal management tool that reduces predation pressure on threatened species while retaining the ecological and cultural roles of apex predators.