17 dangerous dingo encounters on Fraser Island
by Carlie Walker
Carlie Walker Journalist Coming from Newcastle in New South Wales, Carlie completed an arts degree before moving to the Fraser Coast. She has been with the Chronicle since 2007.
1st May 2018 5:00 AM
SO far in 2018, there have been 17 reports of threatening interactions between people and dingoes on Fraser Island.
But none of the animals have been euthanised, with no reports of high-risk interactions, the most serious kind, reported yet this year.
In 2016, two dingoes were destroyed due to high risk interactions with visitors, six died after being illegally poisoned at Orchid Beach and a dingo died in a vehicle strike.
Then last year another two were destroyed after high risk interactions with people on the island, while three died in vehicle strikes.
A spokeswoman from the Department of Environment and Science said it was good news that so far this year no dingoes had been reported as dying of unnatural causes.
She said habituated dingoes were at greater risk of dying.
"Habituation is largely due to visitors failing to respect boundaries," the spokeswoman said.
"A simple bag of rubbish, unsecured bait or food left in tents can cause severe harm to wildlife, and just one person intentionally feeding dingoes can put people, especially children, at risk.
"Dingoes that are not habituated to humans are less likely to be struck by vehicles or be considered an immediate threat to people, especially children, which could warrant the removal of that animal."
The spokeswoman gave an example of one of the incidents involving threatening behaviour.
"A recent and concerning example involved visitors jogging along the beach with two dingoes following," she said.
"A tour operator told the men it was not a good idea to jog as it encouraged the dingoes to pursue them.
"QPWS also promotes this message to all island visitors.
"The men reportedly disregarded the advice and continued to jog.
"The same visitors were later picked up by vehicle and returned to camp after the interaction escalated to threatening behaviour by the dingoes."
Results of the 2011 Fraser Island dingo population study estimated a population of up to 200 individual dingoes live on Fraser Island.
More recent research in 2016 estimated this population remained consistent with previous studies.
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