“They were swimming in a lagoon near Waddy Point and they were circled by dingoes,” a DES spokesperson told Yahoo News Australia. “They felt that the dingoes were going to attack them.”

After other people ‘intervened’ the dingoes ‘fled’.

Dingoes, especially those who have been habituated can be considered a threat. The problems tend to occur when the creatures have been fed or have become used to getting food from people.

Rangers closed the camping area in line with the Dingo Conservation and Risk Management Strategy to ‘reduce the potential for further negative interactions’, and to ‘minimise risks of increased habituation to help ensure the long-term viability of the wongari population on K’gari’.

Rangers are closely monitoring the wongari situation and will be conducting patrols and briefings to further educate visitors on dingo safety and awareness.

The authorities say that, in order to keep wongari wild and to stay safe while on K’gari, visitors are advised to be dingo-safe on K’gari. In particular, they are asked to:

Never feed dingoes.

• Always stay within arm’s reach of children, even small teenagers.
• Walk in groups and carry a stick.
• Do not run. Running or jogging can trigger a negative dingo interaction.
• Camp in fenced areas when possible.
• Lock up food stores and iceboxes (even on a boat).
• Never store food or food containers in tents.
• Secure all rubbish, fish and bait.

°     Have you ever felt threatened by a dingo? Comment below.

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