A seven-year-old girl has been bitten by a dingo after her mother tried to take a photo of the animal at a popular Queensland tourist spot.
It marks the latest incident involving children and dingoes at Fraser Island, which has the Indigenous name K’gari.
The girl’s family were waiting in their vehicle for a barge on the island on Thursday when they saw a dingo near the landing.
The mother got out of the car to take a photo of the animal but was unaware that the seven-year-old child had also exited.
The girl became frightened when the dingo approached her and ran.
“The dingo followed and bit the girl on the thigh before nearby people chased the dingo away,” a Queensland Parks and Wildlife Service statement said.
The child is set to receive medical treatment once the family returns to the mainland.
Rangers are investigating the incident and are attempting to identify the animal.
It was the fourth incident in weeks involving dingoes on the island.
On December 10, a five-year-old girl was bitten on the thigh after moving away from her group and running from a dingo near Wathumba beach.
The next day, a boy was chased into the water by a dingo after he ran from the animal.
A week later, a 12-year-old boy was bitten on the leg while his parents were about 10m away.
A series of incidents earlier in 2023 led rangers to euthanise a dingo that had bitten a woman on the thigh while she was visiting the island.
Rangers have rejected calls to cull dingoes on K’gari, blaming visitor behaviour for the spike in incidents.
QPWS has reminded people to be “dingo safe” by walking in groups, camping in fenced areas and not running on the heritage-listed island.
Children should be kept under constant supervision and within arm’s reach on K’gari.
QPWS said it was also important to keep all food, rubbish and bait locked up and never to feed the animals.
The Queensland government invested an additional $2 million this financial year to help boost public safety on K’gari.
This article by Emma Cam was first published by The Daily Mail on 4 January 2024. Lead Image: A seven-year-old girl has been bitten by a dingo after her mother tried to take a photo of the animal at at Fraser Island, which has the Indigenous name K’gari (stock image).
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