Woman chased into the ocean by pack of dingoes on Queensland’s K’gari

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: News websites
17 Jul 2023 10:54

A woman jogging on an Australian island known for its dingoes was corralled into the beach and sustained multiple bite wounds.

A Dingo stands in an enclosure at the Dingo Discovery and Research Centre in rural Australia on May 25, 2009. (AFP)

A pack of dingoes chased a woman into the ocean on the island of K'gari, in Queensland, Australia, which was formerly known as Fraser Island, before she was airlifted to safety.

The woman, who was airlifted to Hervey Bay hospital had sustained injuries after being bitten by the pack but remained in a stable condition. She was injured in the torso and at the limbs where "multiple bite wounds" were visible according to the Queensland Ambulance Service.

The woman was running toward Orchid Beach on the northeast of the island when four dingoes charged toward her, the Queensland Department of Environment confirmed. The woman, in a bid to escape being shredded to pieces by the pack of dingoes, ran into the ocean.

A spokesperson for the department said on Monday that the woman "is receiving first aid for her injuries,” adding that “The full details of the incident are not yet known, and the Queensland Parks and Wildlife Service will conduct an investigation."

Significantly the spokesperson also underscored that “Residents and visitors to the island are advised to be dingo-safe at all times,” a statement that was echoed by Queensland premier, Annastacia Palaszczuk, who stated that "everybody does know there are dingos on that island and they are wild animals," before adding that she was “very concerned that apparently this young person was actually corralled into the water.”

The premier was shocked that the woman was driven into the ocean, given that the woman was in her early 20s. Typically attacks on the island have targeted children aged 7 to 10 or people in their 40s.

One of the island's rangers, Danielle Mansfield, stated last month that “There are too many instances where children are not being appropriately supervised - on K’gari, this means children and teenagers must be within arm’s reach of an adult at all times."