Despite widespread publicity about the negative consequences, some people are still choosing to feed dingoes on K’Gari (Fraser Island) in Queensland.
And it seems that, sometimes, even a previous fine isn’t enough to deter the practices.
A woman has just been fined for the second time after she illegally fed a dingo on K’gari, with the incident captured on dashcam by patrolling rangers.
Authorities say that feeding dingoes once is enough to teach them to associate humans with food, which puts people and dingoes at risk. Habituated dingoes can approach unsuspecting people for food and become aggressive if they don’t receive it, and dingoes are vulnerable to vehicle strike if they approach cars for food.
The dingo was unlawfully fed this fish at Waddy Point on K'gari. PIC: DESI
Compliance Manager Mike Devery said rangers from the Department of the Environment, Tourism, Science and Innovation were driving along the beach to provide Be dingo-safe! education to visitors when they witnessed the offence.
“The incident occurred on 24 November 2024, when the woman was fishing on the beach at Waddy Point on K’gari and a juvenile dingo was loitering nearby,” Mr Devery said. “The woman threw a small fish that had been caught to the dingo, which carried it a short distance up the beach before eating it.”
After being questioned by the ranger, the 26-year-old woman admitted that she fed the dingo.
The woman received a $2,580 penalty infringement notice, which is the maximum on-the-spot penalty for deliberately feeding a dingo.
However, when the rangers clarified the woman’s details, records showed it was her second fine for dingo offences on K’gari.
In April 2022, the woman was fined $413 for food availability in her camp site at the Wongai camping area.
“It is frustrating to have a repeat offender on the island who doesn’t care about the safety of people or dingoes,” said Mr Devery. “Hopefully she has learned an expensive lesson this time, and we hope the dingo doesn’t suffer any adverse effects after being fed.”
Rangers say they routinely receive videos, photos and information about dingo offences from tourist operators, police and residents and visitors.
“We are asking people to report all offences as soon as possible, and I remind people that the maximum court-imposed penalty for feeding dingoes is $26,614,” said Mr Devery.
It is an offence under the Nature Conservation (Animals) Regulation 2020 to feed a native animal in the wild that is dangerous, venomous or capable of injuring a person.
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The location is “Fraser Island”. There is no legitimate alternative name. We need less woke and more common sense.
You woke lot, shot all the horses that the dingoes used to eat, never had any troubles 40 years ago.
Fraser Island, cash cow for Federal govt under the guise of protecting the area, ground zero for backpacker drunken drug taking excursions, 4wd drunken bogan wonderland .
900k visitors each year , ill rest my case..
Common sense? Yes, actually keeping the original name would be common sense. Sorry, don’t get your point. Fraser Island was only the introduced name
Yes many years ago when my Family Owned a Dairy Farm in the Mary valley West of Gympie Qld.
One morning I was asked by my Parents to go Saddle up one of the Horses and go get the Milking Cows in up to the Dairy for the Morning Milking, upon coming up over a rise in the paddock, I came upon around 6 or 7 Dingoes attacking a New Born Calf, my horse was quite nervous ( as was I { I was only 9 Y.O.A. } the Dingoes upon seeing myself and the Horse immediately circled us being quite menacing, I had not brought one of the Rifles form the House and so as soon as I got the Horse calmed down, and turned around I immediately, ( Put the Boot in ) and scaddle back to the House.
My Parents wanted to know where the Cows were & when I told them Dad went into the House and got a couple of Rifles, and we went back to where the Dingoes were ( Yes they were still there having there Meal of the New Born Calf ) DAD SAID TO ME BOTH OF US HAD TO fire off a Couple of Shots with the Rifles, so we di and this sent the Dingoes off, We, left the remains of the Calf there, then rounded up the Cows droving them back to the Dairy, to Milk them in time to get the Milk ( In Milk Cans ) on the Slide / Sled hitch up the Horse Team and deliver the Milk in the Milk Cans out to the Property Gate at the entranced & the Public Road for the Milk Truck to collect the Milk and take it to the Milk Processing Plant in Gympie Qld.
So the moral of this story is: Dingoes are WILD NATIVE ANIMALS and we humans need to understand they almost nearly all will never become domesticated and should be left well alone.
Regards
Robert.
P.S. when I came upon those Dingoes, I nearly messed my Pants, !!!