More than half of pack killed following state cull orders
First Nations people and wildlife advocates are horrified by the Queensland government’s killing of six K’gari dingoes suspected of attacking Canadian backpacker Piper James, who was found dead on the island last week.
The Ministry of Environment announced over the weekend that a flock of about 10 dingoes surrounding the 19-year-old’s body near the wreck of the SS Maheno on K’gari’s 75 Mile Beach would be killed.
Officers at the scene said the animals “interfered” with James’ body, and a preliminary autopsy released on Friday revealed he had been bitten extensively before and after his death, although he appeared to have been strangled.
“The autopsy found physical evidence consistent with strangulation and injuries consistent with dingo bites,” a Queensland Coroner’s Court spokesman said.
“Antemortem dingo bite marks are unlikely to cause sudden death.”
Following the coroner’s report, Environment Minister Andrew Powell said the department had chosen to destroy the herd.
“This is a difficult decision, but I believe it is the right decision in the public interest,” he said.
Powell said the island will remain open to tourists. After the attack, some camping areas were closed for a short time.
The ministry released a statement on Sunday saying rangers had been monitoring the dingo herd since the attack on James and observed aggressive behavior in the animals.
“Based on initial necropsy findings, the involvement of this herd, and observations since then, this herd has been deemed to pose an unacceptable public safety risk,” the spokesman said.
Butchulla Aboriginal Corporation released a statement on Sunday evening, calling it a “deeply saddened day” for its people and the dingoes, called wongari by the island’s traditional inhabitants.
“We recognize the grief and pain this brings, especially given the cultural significance of Wongari to the people of Butchulla,” the statement said.
The company has previously pushed for an overhaul of the popular holiday destination’s tourism and dingo management plan.
This included a proposal to close the island during high-risk periods for dingo attacks, such as mating season, which coincides with peak tourism periods.
Cheryl Bryant, of the advocacy group Save the Fraser Island Dingoes, said most local people did not want to see the animals killed, echoing claims by traditional owners that the province had not consulted local people.
“We didn’t find out until after the fact — and I think it was the same with Butchulla — so it was kind of hush-hush,” Bryant said.
“I think it was just a knee-jerk reaction, a political response from the government… and it was done in the name of tourism, not for the sake of the environment.”
Bryant said he had doubts about the animals’ involvement and suspected that the euthanized animals were not among those tagged for tracking by the government.
Those culled may have been too young to be tagged, he said.
When asked specifically what method was used to monitor the herd among K’gari’s approximately 200 dingoes, the ministry and ministerial office declined to comment, instead pointing to rangers who routinely work in the animals’ habitats.
The ministry and the ministerial office also refused to confirm whether traditional owners and the island’s indigenous people had been consulted.
Powell will also not comment on whether the government will re-evaluate its dingo management strategy.
James’s mother, Angela James, told Nine News her 19-year-old daughter’s death was “just a tragic accident”.
“Maybe something needs to be done to keep people a little safer, that’s all,” he said.
K’gari’s dingoes differ from mainland Australian dingoes as they are found on the 165,000-hectare island.
This means they rarely mate with domestic or wild dogs; as such, they are widely considered more “pure” than mainland species.
Dingoes are protected and roam freely on the island, although some high-traffic tourist areas, including some resorts and campsites such as Kingfisher Bay Resort, Cornwells campsite and Boomanjin Lake, are fenced.
Dr., an expert on dingo-human interactions from Central Queensland University. Bradley Smith said visitors ignoring safety advice increased the risk of attack.
He believed people were taking greater risks with dogs since Covid-19 to take photos and videos for social media.
“People don’t treat dingoes as predators… they don’t respect them, maybe because they’re small and dog-like; they’re quite cute,” he said.
Smith said limiting tourism numbers could help reduce the risk.
He said the cull was a “terrible” idea, arguing that it did not reduce aggression and weaken genetic diversity among the isolated dingo population.
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