Boy bitten by dingo on K’gari (Fraser Island)
Issued: 4 May 2021
The Queensland Parks and Wildlife Service (QPWS) is reminding visitors and residents on K’gari (Fraser Island) to keep children under constant supervision, after an interaction between a child and a dingo on Saturday.
Two boys aged four and five-years-old were near a car at a home at Orchid Beach when they were approached by a dingo on May 1, 2021.
The dingo sniffed the five-year-old boy, and the children ran towards the house when the four-year-old boy was bitten on the thigh.
The boy received two small red marks and a slight graze to his thigh, but didn’t require medical treatment.
The parents chased the dingo into the bush, and it snarled at them and didn’t want to leave the area.
QPWS rangers are investigating to try and determine which dingo was involved.
Residents and visitors to the island, particularly the Orchid Beach area, are advised a dingo pack is approaching people for food.
It’s believed the dingo pack has been inadvertently or deliberately fed by residents and visitors, and has lost its natural wariness of people.
People are reminded to be dingo safe and not to feed or interact with dingos, as this can contribute to their habituation and cause them to become aggressive while seeking food.
People are encouraged to remain vigilant and report any negative dingo encounters to a QPWS ranger or to phone 07 4127 9150 or email dingo.ranger@des.qld.gov.au as soon as possible.
Visitors to Fraser Island are reminded to be dingo safe at all times:
- Always stay close (within arm’s reach) of children and young teenagers
- Always walk in groups
- Camp in fenced areas where possible
- Do not run. Running or jogging can trigger a negative dingo interaction
- Never feed dingoes
- Lock up food stores and iceboxes (even on a boat)
- Never store food or food containers in tents, and
- Secure all rubbish, fish and bait.
For more information go to Fraser Island dingoes.