A boy has been bitten and dragged under water by a dingo on K’gari less than two weeks after another animal was put down by park rangers for biting tourists.
The attacks have prompted renewed warnings for visitors to remain vigilant around the native animals and to keep their children nearby at all times.
The 10-year-old was walking along the water’s edge on the sand island formerly known as Fraser Island when he was stalked and attacked by the dingo near a camping area last Friday.
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He was saved when his 12-year-old sister intervened.
“The family treated the boy for puncture wounds to his shoulder and arms and scratches and bruises on his collarbone and arm,” a ranger, Danielle Mansfield, said on Thursday.
The tagged wongari (dingo) dug up food scraps buried in the sand near the camping area.
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“Rangers chased the animal away from the camping area and we have increased patrols in the region to monitor the wongari’s behaviour and pass on dingo-safe messaging to campers and visitors,” Mansfield said.
The ranger said the dingo was accustomed to human interaction, showing no wariness around people.
“Rangers believe this animal is one of a number of wongari that have been deliberately or inadvertently fed, which is why they’re showing no fear of people,” she said.
“These animals are capable of inflicting serious harm and they have bitten children and adults and some are quite brazen and are not fleeing when yelled at or when someone brandishes a stick.”
Rangers are distributing reminders for people to remain vigilant.
“There are too many instances where children are not being appropriately supervised – on K’gari, this means children and teenagers must be within arm’s reach of an adult at all times,” the ranger said.
A dingo was euthanised earlier this month after months of attacks on the island, including biting a seven-year-old boy and a 42-year-old woman.