Woman attacked by pack of dingoes on Australian island K’gari, ‘lucky to be alive’

A woman who was attacked by a pack of dingoes while going for a run on K’gari is “lucky to be alive” according to authorities, as grim new details are revealed on how she was hunted.

It’s the latest incident in a series of attacks involving dingoes at the popular Queensland tourist destination, formerly known as Fraser Island.

The woman, 24, was jogging in the Orchid Beach area on Monday morning when she was set upon by four dingoes.

She ran into the ocean to try and escape the animals, however, three of the dingoes followed her and attacked her in the water, in what rangers say is a common tactic for predators when they hunt prey such as wallabies.

Two men driving a four-wheel-drive ute on the beach saw the woman in trouble and veered towards the dingoes to try and scare them off.

The driver alerted emergency services of the incident at about 9:15 am.

They rushed into the ocean to save her before placing her in the ute tray and taking her to the Orchid Beach fenced area.

At Orchid Beach first aid was provided to the woman’s injuries on her arms before she was flown to Hervey Bay hospital for further treatment.

One of the men received an injury to his hand while assisting the woman.

The woman was running in an area that is normally full of beachgoers and fishermen, but as she was alone, she caught the attention of the pack.

“Unfortunately for this woman this morning, she was alone and ended up in a situation that was quite compromising to her because of that,” head ranger Linda Behrendorff spokesperson said.

The incident has sparked stern warnings to K’gari visitors to follow dingo safety protocol, including not running or jogging and keeping food away from the animals.

“Don’t run, they will chase you,” Behrendorff warned.

The dingoes that attacked the woman are from a known pack that is “comfortable” around the Orchid Beach area.

One of the dingoes in the pack has been recorded lunging at people in the past.

The method they used to attack the woman is a common way that dingoes on K’gari hunt animals such as wallabies, pushing their prey into the ocean to tire it out before killing it.

As Queensland Parks and Wildlife Service investigates the attack, euthanization has not been ruled out.

“It‘s definitely a last resort and it’s a decision that’s not made lightly, there’s a lot of things that get taken into account and it’s a decision that’s made at a lot higher level than the rangers on the ground,” Behrendorff said.

A dingo was euthanized this year after it was filmed biting a tourist sunbathing on the beach, it was the first to be put down since 2019.

“The Queensland Parks and Wildlife Service (QPWS) extends our sympathies to the woman and her family and friends, and wishes her a speedy recovery,” a QPWS spokesperson said.

“QPWS rangers will conduct further investigations to identify the Wongari (dingo) responsible for the incident. It is understood that one of the animals involved was a collared wongari.

“Future management decisions will be made once the information has been reviewed and the investigation is complete.”

The attack follows an incident involving a 10-year-old boy who was dragged underwater by a dingo on the island and a tourist being bitten last month.