A young girl has been hospitalised with severe injuries after she was attacked by a dingo on a popular Queensland holiday island.
The primary school-aged victim suffered ‘significant’ bites to her legs and buttocks while swimming at Hook Point on K’gari, formerly Fraser Island, at about 12.30pm on Friday.
Paramedics rushed the girl from the island to Inskip Point by barge before taking her to Gympie Hospital for treatment.
Queensland Parks and Wildlife Service (QPWS) rangers are now tasked with trying to identify the dingo involved.
This latest attack comes just one week after another girl, 7, was bitten on the thigh by a dingo on the island, who are known to loiter around campsites looking for food.
This week’s incident is the latest in a series of dingo attacks on K’gari that have shaken tourists in recent months.
In December, a young girl, five, was bitten on the thigh after running from a dingo near Wathumba beach.
The next day a boy was chased into the water by dingoes after he became scared and ran from the animal, which had lunged but did not make contact.
On August 10, two women were mauled by dingoes in seperate attacks within five minutes of each other.
The first woman was bitten at 11.45am nea popular swimming spot Eli Creek, on the island’s east shore.
The second woman was attacked after another dingo wandered down the creek and approached her from behind.
In July a group of campers at Orchid Beach spent the night fending off dingoes near where a woman was viciously mauled while jogging just hours earlier.
The 20-strong group said they were forced to use poles ‘every 10 minutes’ to ward off dingoes which were searching for food in their camp.
Earlier in the month in yet another attack, Sarah Peet from Brisbane was dragged into the water by a pack of four dingoes at the same beach.
She was rescued when two strangers intervened and was taken to hospital by helicopter with numerous bites.
Recently the state government announced $2million in funding for K’gari this financial year and another $3million annually after that.
The money will create jobs for an additional six Queensland Parks and Wildlife Service (QPWS) rangers, three specialist staff and four more Butchulla rangers.
Extra rangers on the island are expected to make enhanced management and monitoring of dingoes that exhibit threatening and high-risk behaviour easier.
QPWS is also distributing pamphlets with its ‘Be dingo-safe!’ education campaign at strategic locations on the island.
Tips on how to avoid dangerous confrontations with dingoes include to: stay within arm’s reach of children, walk in groups, carry a stick, and camp in fenced areas.
Rangers also warn tourists to never run even if they feel threatened as running or jogging can trigger dingoes.
This article by Zak Wheeler was first published by The Daily Mail on 12 January 2024. Lead Image: A primary school-aged girl suffered ‘ significant’ dingo bites to her leg and buttocks at 12:30pm on Friday at Hook Point on K’gari in Queensland (stock picture).
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