A lead dingo in a pack of four that attacked a 23-year-old woman jogging in Kegari has been captured and humanely killed.
Rangers captured the nearly two-year-old animal on Wednesday afternoon after it allegedly chased Brisbane woman Sara Pitt into the water at Orchid Beach.
Two colleagues in a four-wheel-drive rushed to his aid, Sarah and Shane Moffat who punched him away from the dingoes, and he was airlifted to hospital with numerous bites.
A pack of four lead dingoes that attacked a jogger in Kegari have been put down.
Brisbane woman Sarah Pitt (above) was mauled by a pack of four dingoes on K’Gari, east of Fraser Island, on Monday morning.
Shane and Sarah Moffat ran into the water when they heard Mrs Peet screaming for help
Paramedic Matthew Steer said the woman was ‘corralled and mauled’ by the dingoes in the attack.
Shane Moffat said he heard the woman’s screams and rushed to help the victim.
‘We heard her screaming and we both jumped out of the car and ran straight towards her,’ he said on Thursday.
‘He was holding his hand and two dogs were on either side of him.’
‘I got to the water and pulled one of the dingoes off the wire and when I got there the other took off.’
‘The dingo followed him as he walked out of the water and then it ran towards me so I had to defend myself.’
A spokesman for the Queensland Department of Environment and Science said the dingo had been responsible for other recent threats and bite incidents, including one involving a six-year-old girl.
It was a decision for the rangers and traditional owners of Kegari to take ‘significant steps’ to bring down the animal.
The incident is under investigation and rangers are trying to identify the other dingoes involved.
‘Should other animals be identified, we will consider our management options,’ the department spokesman said.
The euthanised dingo had been wearing a tracking collar since April, which allowed Queensland Parks and Wildlife Service rangers to track the animal and its behavior as well as monitor human behavior around it.
When the animal was collared, it weighed more than 17 kg, which is heavy for a dingo and a clear indication of feeding.
The spokesperson said it was also clear from its behavior that it had become habituated and lost its normal alertness, either through feeding or from people approaching it for videos and selfies.
Environment Minister Leanne Lynard acknowledged the difficulty of deciding the future of problem dingoes in Kegari after arriving on the island on Wednesday.
Euthanizing an animal was considered an option of last resort, with decisions made by rangers in consultation with the traditional owners, the Buchulla people.
‘It was a very traumatic experience for that young lady and we all hope she makes a full recovery,’ Ms Lynard told reporters in Kegari on Wednesday.
Ms Pitt (above) was airlifted to nearby Hervey Bay Hospital with around 30 bites and a deep cut to her upper arm.
‘Decisions about the future of any particular dingo… are made by the people who should make them, and our rangers in conjunction with the traditional owners of the island here.
‘It’s not something I involve myself in, but I deeply respect that it’s a real balancing act and a difficult one.’
Behavioral files are kept on animals as part of detailed incident reports, the minister said.
A dingo was humanely put down in June after a series of incidents, including biting a seven-year-old boy and a 42-year-old woman on separate occasions earlier this year.
‘Euthanizing a high-risk dingo is a last resort, but this decision is in line with the Fraser Island dingo conservation and risk management strategy and part of (the Queensland Parks and Wildlife Service’s) commitment to ensure the safety of those who visit or live here. Island,’ the Department of Environment said at the time.
The management of dingoes on the island, communication with visitors and whether anything needs to be done differently were due to be discussed on Wednesday.
While most people do the right thing, there are examples on social media of people trying to interact with or even slap animals, Ms Lynard said.
‘We still have a job to do I think for the small number of people who are not aware or listening to these messages,’ he said.
‘We have to keep people safe on this beautiful island, and we have to respect that this island has dingoes and is their home.
‘And I think that important balance is best served by education.’