There has been another dingo attack on Queensland’s Fraser Island (K’gari).
Rangers are investigating an incident where three female tourists were nipped on the lower legs by dingoes while they were walking on the track into Lake Wabby earlier this week.
The tourists were part of two separate visitor groups that were returning from Lake Wabby, and they received minor injuries. Tour guides administered first aid before taking the women to the Queensland Ambulance Service Happy Valley station for assessment. The tourists declined to leave the island.
It is believed tagged dingoes may have been involved, and rangers are continuing to investigate the incident.
Dingoes are a constant presence on Queensland's Fraser Island. PIC: Queensland DESI
It is, of course, the latest in an extremely long line of dingo incidents on the island.
Back in February. a 12-year-old boy was bitten on the back by a tagged dingo near Yidney Rocks. It is understood two children and an adult were playing in shallow water when the male dingo approached a boy from behind and bit him. The boy was treated by paramedics for superficial puncture wounds and a laceration
And in January, a three-year-old girl was bitten on the back of the leg as she and her family strolled down an unfenced beach near Kingfisher Bay.
Each incident inevitably sparks calls about what can be done to lessen the risk of future attacks.
One of the key things is, of course, visitor behaviour.
Last December, a 26-year-old woman was find a whopping $2,580 for illegally feeding a dingo. Records then showed she had previously been fined $413 for doing the same thing back in 2022.
Visitors to K’gari are reminded to:
And, of course, the need to use commonsense around dingoes is not simply restricted to K’gari. In August last year, a motorhoming couple had their pet poodle killed by a dingo in WA’s north-west region. The Shire of East Pilbara said it would work to ensure adequate warning signage was displayed at the Mt Robinson camping ground.
Shire President Anthony Middleton said at the time that campers needed to be aware that dingoes and wild dogs are active.
“We recommend going for walks at the campgrounds or surrounding landscape with others, not alone … stay still if confronted, try to make yourself as tall as possible and make loud noises, walk back slowly to a safe place, please do not feed the animals.”
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Thanks for using the islands name, Frazer Island. At least I know where you are referring to.
Fraser Island should be off limits to humans!!!! I don’t understand why people are so stupid as to go there and even take children and babies. The poor dingoes are starving living on an island with little food. Move the humans or the dingoes off. Why should we intrude on their territory.
Agree Bev, more to this than than we are being told.
If people are silly enough to approach a hungry/starving, scared wild animal, you will get attacked or bitten. No our human instinct is to eradicate the pest oh dont forget the sharks.
Yes exactly Bev the dingos belong there people stay away.
Euthanize a few dingoes, would stop them suffering from lack of food. Way too many on K`gari anyway. Less humans will not increase their food supply.
Why not feed the poor animals easy to see and hear their starving humans eradicated the brumbies (food source) and they’ve obviously cleaned up the wildlife as for fish well use your imagination why that doesn’t work for them either
there are a couple of resorts on fraser make people stay there and take tours on the buses that will eradicate 80/90 precent of the people that feed them
Some years back while camping on Fraser Island, early in the morning went out for a nature break, with my little spade in hand, I turned around and found myself being watched by four dingoes about 10m away, looking at me like I’m a good source! I was able to chase them off though.
And 40 odd years ago I hired a little 4WD, and drove with my two young kids from the barge inland and found a campsite for the night. I had them sleep in the car and I slept on the ground. In the morning I woke to see what I thought were “cute little puppies” at the foot of my sleeping bag! I was an ignorant city slicker back then!
I don’t understand why folk are claiming that the dingoes are starving. They most certainly are not. And they are also very healthy. Any injuries or unwell dingo on the island is captured by rangers, and treated. The problem lies with the two footed animals, not the four footed ones.