First Nations group outraged by killing of K’gari dingoes

First Nations people and wildlife advocates are appalled the Queensland government has killed six K’gari dingoes suspected to have attacked Canadian backpacker Piper James, who was found dead on the island last week.

The Department of Environment revealed at the weekend it would kill the pack of about 10 dingoes that had surrounded the 19-year-old’s body near the wreck of SS Maheno, on K’gari’s 75 Mile Beach.

Officers at the scene said the animals had been “interfering” with James’ body, and a preliminary autopsy released on Friday revealed that although she appeared to have drowned, she had been bitten extensively before and after her death.

“The autopsy has found physical evidence consistent with drowning, and injuries consistent with dingo bites,” a Coroners Court of Queensland spokesperson said.

“Pre-mortem dingo bite marks are not likely to have caused immediate death.”

Following the Coroner’s report, Environment Minister Andrew Powell said the department had chosen to kill the pack.

“This is a tough decision but I believe it’s the right call in the public interest,” he said.

Powell said the island would remain open to tourists. Some campsites were closed briefly after the attack.

The department issued a statement on Sunday, saying rangers had monitored the pack of dingoes since the attack on James, and had observed aggressive behaviour in the animals.

“Following the initial autopsy findings, this pack’s involvement in the incident, and observations since, this pack has been deemed an unacceptable public safety risk,” the spokesperson said.

The Butchulla Aboriginal Corporation issued a statement on Sunday evening, calling it a “deeply sad day” for their people and the island’s dingoes – called wongari by the island’s traditional inhabitants.

“We recognise the grief and pain this brings, especially given the cultural significance of the wongari to the Butchulla people,” the statement read.

The corporation had previously pushed for an overhaul of the popular holiday destination’s tourism and dingo management plan.

This included a recommendation the island be closed during high-risk periods for dingo attacks, such as mating season, which coincides with peak tourism times.

Cheryl Bryant, from advocacy group Save Fraser Island Dingoes, said most locals had not wanted to see the animals killed, echoing claims from the traditional owners the state had not consulted locals.

“We didn’t find out until after the fact – and I think that that was the same with the Butchulla – so this was done kind of hush-hush,” Bryant said.

“I think this was just a knee-jerk reaction, a political reaction by the government … and it was done for the sake of tourism, not for the sake of the environment.”

Bryant held doubts about the animals’ involvement and said she suspected the animals euthanised were not among those tagged for tracking by the government.

She said those culled might have been too young to have been tagged.

When asked specifically what method had been used to track the pack among K’gari’s roughly 200 dingoes, the department and minister’s office would not comment, instead pointing to rangers routinely working in the animals’ habitat.

The department and minister’s office also declined to confirm whether it had consulted with traditional owners and island locals.

Powell would also not be drawn on whether the government would reconsider its dingo management strategy.

James’ 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,” she said.

K’gari’s dingoes are distinct from mainland Australian dingoes because they are contained on the 165,000-hectare island.

This means they have rarely interbred with domestic or feral dogs, so are widely considered more “pure” than mainland varieties.

The dingoes are protected and roam freely on the island, although some high-traffic tourism areas are fenced, including some resorts and camping sites such as Kingfisher Bay Resort, Cornwells campsite, and Lake Boomanjin.

Central Queensland University’s Dr Bradley Smith, who specialises in dingo-human interactions, said visitors ignoring safety advice was increasing the risk of attacks.

He believed people had been taking bigger risks with the dogs since COVID to capture pictures and videos for social media.

“People are not treating dingoes as a predator … they’re not respecting them, maybe because they’re small and because they look like a dog – they’re quite cute,” he said.

Smith said capping tourism numbers could help reduce the risk.

He described culling as a “horrible” idea, arguing it did not reduce aggression and weakened genetic diversity among the isolated dingo population.

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