Rangers are investigating two encounters between children and dingoes on the popular holiday destination of K’gari in recent days.<\/p>\n
A five-year-old girl was bitten on the thigh after running from a dingo near Wathumba beach, on the Queensland sand island, around 3pm on Sunday.<\/p>\n
The girl had moved away from a large group of people she was with when a nearby dingo ran at full speed toward her and nipped her on the thigh, according to the Queensland Parks and Wildlife Service (QPWS).<\/p>\n
The frightened girl stopped and was bitten again on the thigh before an adult intervened and scared the animal off by waving their hat.<\/p>\n
A doctor who was camping on the island treated the girl who received a laceration and bite to her thigh.<\/p>\n
On Monday, a boy was chased by a dingo into the water after he became scared and ran from the animal, which had been sleeping under a vehicle.<\/p>\n
‘The dingo ran at speed toward the boy as rangers ran through the water and the parents also ran for the boy,’ according to a statement from the QPWS.<\/p>\n
‘The dingo lunged, attempting to bite but did not make contact.’<\/p>\n
Rangers say in both instances the dingo was a juvenile and are now working to determine if it was same animal.<\/p>\n
A series of incidents earlier in the year led rangers to euthanise one dingo which had bitten a woman on the thigh while she was visiting the Heritage-Listed island.<\/p>\n
Rangers had tagged the dingo in January but noticed increased behavioural problems including stealing food, persistently approaching people, stalking, circling, lunging, nipping and biting.<\/p>\n
The dingo or dingoes involved in the most recent incidents were untagged.<\/p>\n
In July, a 24-year-old woman was taken to hospital with numerous bites after being attacked by at least three dingoes while jogging on the beach.<\/p>\n
Earlier that month, an eight-year-old boy was taken to hospital after being bitten and scratched when two dingoes approached his family.<\/p>\n
Rangers have so far rejected calls to cull the dingo population on the island and blamed visitor behaviour for the spike in incidents.<\/p>\n