Tourists bitten by Fraser dingoes

A dingo explores a beach as young tourists watch on Fraser Island, where campgrounds have been closed after three tourists were bitten by dingoes.

FRASER Island rangers have ramped up patrols of campgrounds after three tourists were bitten by dingoes.

Visitors to the island are also being asked by the State Government to be vigilant following the separate incidents at Eli Creek and Maheno camping zones that happened in “recent weeks”.

Those two campgrounds have been closed while QPWS rangers are visiting all others to reinforce advice about appropriate behaviour towards dingoes.

Climate Change and Sustainability Minister Kate Jones said, with the Easter school holidays approaching, families with children and young teenagers were being urged to stay in fenced areas.

“It is particularly important that campers, day visitors and residents are aware of and follow the Be Dingo-safe recommendations,” Ms Jones said yesterday.

“We’ve also closed the Eli Creek and Maheno Creek campsites to prevent contact between people and dingoes and to disperse the dingo groups in the area.

“At the same time, we’ve reopened the One Tree Rocks and Cornwells Beach campsites, which were closed in December last year, as no adverse dingo activities have been recorded there since then.”

Ms Jones said the latest incident with dingoes involved a tourist from Scotland, while the other travellers were from Ireland and Denmark. All received medical treatment and continued with their holidays.

The exact dates and details of the incidents were not provided, nor was the number of dingoes involved.

However, Ms Jones said the latest situations again highlighted the need for Fraser Island visitors and residents to remain vigilant, especially with food and rubbish.

Autumn is dingo mating season, making it the most dangerous time of year for humans and the native dogs to interact.

Be dingo safe ...

• Always stay close to your children, even young teens
• Walk in groups
• Never feed dingoes
• Lock up all food stores and iceboxes, even on boats
• Pack away food scraps
• Store fishing bait correctly
• To report a dingo incident, contact a ranger, call 5486 9966 or email dingo.ranger@epa.qld.gov.au.