Gympie, Cooloola Coast warned over wild dog problem

Gympie has a wild dog problem and it is getting worse. With thousands of visitors staying in the region during school holidays, locals and visitors alike have been warned to not approach them and keep pets on a leash or in a yard.

An influx of school holiday tourists to the coast has prompted warnings from Gympie Regional Council for residents to remain vigilant amid “escalating” wild dog activity.

The warning came amid reports of more than three dozen sightings region-wide, including a vicious attack on a family pet at Glenwood.

Glenwood resident Darren Phillips took to social media in July, saying one of his pets had been left battered and bleeding from a vicious wild dog attack at his front door.

“Red dingo looking dog quite large, labrador size very aggressive,” Mr Phillips said.

“We have three dogs at the house and woke to ours barking, then yelping.

“He was grabbed at his rear end with puncture wounds and a tear to inner leg, very shaken up.”

Council sustainability director Adrian Burns said last week there had been 40 wild dog sightings across the region in 2022 to-date.

These included single animals and pack sightings.

“Landholders who own sheep, goats, free-range poultry and cattle are most at risk of attack from these pest predators,” Mr Burns said.

Wild dogs have been an ongoing problem across the Gympie region for decades.

In 2019, attacks, including the mauling of more than three dozen sheep, were reported, including out at Tuchekoi and Carters Ridge.

The council has now urged residents to be cautious in its latest warning, especially around the Tin Can Bay area.

Gympie council environment manager Alex Stengl has warned residents to be cautious at Tin Can Bay amid "escalating" wild dog activity.

“Wild dogs in Tin Can Bay are not unusual,” a council spokesperson said in a statement.

They may look like domestic dogs but “they have the potential to be dangerous to humans and pets”.

“There’s been an increase of escalating behaviours in the wild dog population at Tin Can Bay,” council environment manager Alex Stengl said.

The Tin Can Bay foreshore along Toolara Rd, from Coral Trout drive southward, was an area of particular concern, she said.

Anyone who found themselves face-to-face with a wild dog should take several steps to protect themselves, the council said.

Areas along the Tin Can Bay foreshore are of concern to Gympie Regional Council for “escalating” wild dog activity. Photo Craig Warhurst / Gympie Times

These include:

- standing up tall and calm

- arms folded

- maintain eye contact

- confidently and loudly call for help if needed

- never turn your back on the animal

- never run away

- never wave your arms

- never attempt to approach, touch or feed them.

There were steps residents could also take to minimise their chances of an encounter:

- keep children close and do not let them walk or play unaccompanied in bushland areas

- have pets on leads at all times when out walking

- keep pets within the bounds of their property

- do not leaving food scraps out where wild dogs can get to them

- do not feeding wild dogs.

Feeding wild dog was an offence, the council spokesperson said.