Major update after island dingo attacks
A dingo which attacked two young children and a man in separate attacks on K’gari has been put down, wildlife authorities have confirmed.
The animal was responsible for three attacks in the Hook Point area on the southernmost point of the heritage-listed sand island, otherwise known as Fraser Island, over the past week.
One involved a primary school-aged girl being left with “significant” lacerations to her leg on January 12, while another girl was bitten on the thigh on January 4.
In a statement, Queensland Parks and Wildlife Service (QPWS) said the latest incident involved a man being bitten at Hook Point on Monday.
They said the animal - which had been tagged - had displayed increasingly dangerous behaviour in the recent weeks.
“Due to the escalation of the animal’s behaviour, QPWS has made the difficult decision to euthanise the dingo,” a spokeswoman said late on Tuesday.
“Euthanising a dingo is a last resort, as it can interrupt the island’s natural ecological and cultural wellbeing, and impacts our rangers and the Butchulla people.”
Nearly 30 dingo attacks were recorded on K’gari over 2023 – compared to just five in 2022 and 13 in 2021.
QPWS has repeatedly urged people to stay “dingo-safe” while visiting the island due to the animals’ stealth, speed and natural curiosity.
The tips include keeping young children and teenagers close, carrying a stick, walking in groups and not feeding dingoes or leaving unsecured food around campsites, among other points.
“QPWS is tasked with the challenging responsibility of striking a balance between public safety and the conservation of dingoes on K’gari, which are a protected species of environmental and cultural significance,” the QPWS spokeswoman said.
“To achieve this balance, we carry out constant education and compliance, maintain fences at multiple camping areas around the Orchid Beach township, conduct daily patrols of the island and respond to human-dingo interactions on a case-case basis.”
Some of last year’s more high profile attacks included video of a French tourist being bitten on the buttocks as she sunbathed.
In June, a 10-year-old boy was attacked and dragged underwater by a dingo on the west coast of K’gari in front of a camping area.
