K’gari dingo attack: Serious questions to answer about dingoes

Queenslanders will demand answers as to why one of the pack of dogs that pursued a lone woman into the surf and bit her 30 times was allowed to roam free, despite having already been identified by rangers as a troublemaker.

Clearly, we are no experts when it comes to management of wild dogs. But there will today no doubt be demands that more be done on K’gari (Fraser Island) to control the dingoes that have grown more confident and aggressive than ever.

Queenslanders will demand answers as to why one of the pack of dogs that pursued a lone woman into the surf on Monday morning where they then bit her 30 times was allowed to roam free, despite having already been identified by rangers as such a troublemaker it needed to be fitted with a tracker.

A dingo collared with a GPS tracker by Rangers on K’gari. Picture: Liam Kidston

Yes, many of the tourists on the island are not doing themselves any favours by feeding the dogs and posing for selfies. And yes, these dingoes are wild animals and we are in their territory.

But surely more must be done to protect visits when individual dogs are deemed to be particularly risky.

Fortunately, the Brisbane woman who was the victim of yesterday’s attack is going to be fine thanks to the courage of passers-by and the first-aid knowledge of her mum. But it could have been so much worse.

Originally published as K’gari dingo attack: Serious questions to answer about dingoes