Dingo feeding fine issued after man busted sharing bread on Fraser

It comes after a tip off from a tourism operator and amid repeated warnings habituated dingoes are responsible for recent attacks.

A man, caught feeding a dingo on Fraser Island, has been fined $2135 after a tip off from a tourism operator.

It comes amid repeated warnings habituated dingoes are responsible for recent attacks on children at holiday hot spots.

According to the Department of Environment and Science, the incident happened on Saturday when the operator allegedly spotted the man feeding bread to a tagged dingo at Eli Creek and called a Queensland Parks and Wildlife Service ranger.

A police officer who was near Eli Creek spoke to the alleged offender and obtained witness statements from the tourism operator.

The QPS officer and ranger later obtained further witness statements.

On June 1, the QPS officer issued a $2135 fine to the man for allegedly deliberately feeding a dingo, along with a $200 fine for taking a vehicle into a recreation area without a permit.

A DES spokesman said visitors and residents on the island were reminded QPWS rangers or QPS officers didn’t have to be present for a person to be fined for dingo offences.

“This incident is another example of residents, visitors and tour group operators providing information, photos and videos to authorities when people feed dingoes,” he said

PWT7RM Dingoes – Fraser Island

“QPWS rangers and QPS officers take these matters extremely seriously and have zero tolerance for people who intentionally feed or interfere with dingoes, a spokesman said.

“People who feed and interfere with dingoes put themselves and other people in danger, and QPWS rangers will hold offenders accountable,” he said.

“Anyone who deliberately feeds or interacts with dingoes or fails to secure their food and rubbish can expect a fine or to appear in court.

“Dingoes on K’gari are not starving and have access to plenty of natural food.

“Feeding dingoes can result in the animals becoming habituated, and they can lose their natural wariness of people.”

The fines come after two attacks on children at Orchid Beach in recent months.

A four-year-old boy was bitten on the thigh last month but did not need medical treatment.

In April, a serious attack resulted in a two-year-old boy having to be flown off the island after he wandered from a holiday home in the early hours of the morning and suffered bites to his head, neck and body.

People are encouraged to remain vigilant and report any concerning dingo encounters to a QPWS ranger or phone [phone] or email [e-mail] as soon as possible.