K’gari: Crazed dingo bites girl, 5, on the thigh before another of the wild dogs chases a little boy into the ocean at holiday hotspot
Rangers are investigating two encounters between children and dingoes at the popular holiday destination K'gari in recent days.
A five-year-old girl was bitten on the thigh after running from a dingo near Wathumba Beach on Queensland's Sand Island about 3pm on Sunday.
The girl had been running away from a large group of people she was with when a nearby dingo ran at her at full speed and bit her on the thigh, according to the Queensland Parks and Wildlife Service (QPWS).
Rangers are investigating two encounters between children and dingoes at the popular holiday destination K'gari in recent days (file photo)
The frightened girl stopped and was bitten again on the thigh before an adult intervened and scared the animal away by waving their hat.
A doctor camping on the island treated the girl who suffered a cut and bite on her thigh.
On Monday, a boy was chased into the water by a dingo after he became frightened and ran away from the animal, which was sleeping under a vehicle.
“The dingo ran towards the boy at high speed as rangers ran through the water and the parents also ran after the boy,” a QPWS statement said.
'The dingo jumped and tried to bite, but didn't make contact.'
Rangers say in both cases the dingo was a juvenile and are now investigating whether they are the same animal.
A five-year-old girl was bitten on the thigh after running away from a dingo near Wathumba beach on Queensland's Sand Island at around 3pm on Sunday (file photo)
A series of incidents earlier this year led rangers to euthanize a dingo that had bitten a woman on the thigh while she was visiting the World Heritage-listed island.
Rangers had tagged the dingo in January but noticed increasing behavioral problems including stealing food, constantly approaching people, stalking, circling, lunging, biting and biting.
The dingo(es) involved in the most recent incidents were not tagged.
In July, a 24-year-old woman was taken to hospital with numerous bites after being attacked by at least three dingoes while jogging on the beach.
Earlier that month, an eight-year-old boy was taken to hospital after being bitten and scratched when two dingoes approached his family.
Rangers have so far rejected calls to cull the island's dingo population, blaming visitor behavior for the spike in incidents.