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Serious Dingo Attack - Fraser Island


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http://www.couriermail.com.au/news/queensland/man-who-fought-off-savage-dingo-pack-on-fraser-island-beach-survived-because-he-covered-his-face-and-throat-stomach-and-groin/story-fnihsrf2-1227021876033

A MAN who was savaged by a pack of dingoes on Fraser Island fought off the wild dogs as he scrambled to safety.

Dane Allan, a 25-year-old chef employed on the island, walked to the beach about 10.30pm on Monday, apparently to make a phone call.

Alone in the dark, he was approached by four dingoes about 100m from the fenced township of Happy Valley.

An island paramedic said Mr Allan scared one dingo away – with one report suggesting he used a torch to hit it – before he was set upon by the other three.

The dogs mauled Mr Allan as he fended for his life, leaving him with puncture wounds to the back of his head, buttocks and legs. But he saved himself by protecting his vital regions.

His board shorts were shredded off, his tank top torn and remnants of his clothing were still on the beach yesterday, the paramedic said.

The paramedic said fishermen discovered Mr Allan collapsed on the ground after he had escaped the dingoes’ clutches.

“He was able to fight them off and make his way to the fenced area,” he said.

“Fishermen heard him calling out. He was only about 100m from the gate.”

Mr Allan was yesterday ­recovering in Hervey Bay ­Hospital where he was in “good spirits”.

He had been working at the Fraser Island Retreat at Happy Valley for about eight months, according to residents.

Rangers who already conduct regular patrols of known problem areas have vowed to step up their rounds of Happy Valley and alert visitors.

The attack follows the serious mauling of a German tourist in 2012 and other less dramatic incidents since.

The Queensland Parks and Wildlife Service introduced a dingo management strategy – with strict rules against feeding and approaching the animals – after the death of a nine-year-old boy in 2001.

About 200 dingoes roam the island in packs of about 30 and generally stick to their territories.

Situated about halfway along the island on the ocean side, Happy Valley is fenced against dingoes and its entrance protected by an electrified grid.

Fraser Island Association spokesman David Anderson said Mr Allan was lucky.

“He covered himself to protect his face and throat, stomach and groin; he was lucky because he was able to protect himself,” Mr Anderson said.

“If it got him in the stomach and throat and punctured an artery, there’s not much you can do for them.”

QPWS Fraser Coast principal ranger Ross Belcher urged residents and visitors to remain vigilant.

“Fraser Island’s dingoes are not domestic pets, they are wild animals and they must always be treated as such,” he said.

“In the wake of this latest incident I would caution people against walking or jogging alone on the beaches, particularly at night.

“We aim to balance the conservation and welfare of wild dingoes with providing a safe and enjoyable experience for visitors and residents, so our focus remains on educating visitors on how to be dingo-safe.”

A 1.8km dingo fence was completed on the island last month. Its construction followed a 2012 review sparked by a spate of attacks, including the fatal mauling of nine-year-old Clinton Gage in 2001.

QPWS issued the following tips for being “dingo-wise”:

• Keep children close and stay in a group – don’t walk alone.

• Avoid feeding dingoes.

• Keep camp sites clean and secure food, bait and rubbish.

• Whenever possible camp in a dingo-fenced area and never approach a dingo or encourage interaction.

• Any negative interactions with dingoes should be reported as soon as possible to a QPWS ranger by calling 13 74 68 or by emailing [email protected]

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We were just on Fraser last week a bit further down from Happy Valley and saw plenty if dingos. They were pretty bold but never came closer than about 20m to the camp site at night. We had a few youngsters that appeared to be playing with my partner with bowing and jumping around etc. we were very careful about following all the guidelines with fishing etc etc and didn't go anywhere alone.

On the last day we were there another group started camping next to us, and I was sure something bad was going to happen with them... Letting their kids run up and down the beach alone in the dark with dingos only 100m away, and the kids burying one of them up to his neck in the sand, at dusk, while a dingo looked on in interest! The fishers in the group didn't appear to be disposing of their fish remains properly. They were also allowing their kids to swim at dusk in an area with at least 6 visible strong rips, in an area where swimming is not encouraged because of the high number of sharks! It's people like this who think they can ignore all the information provided and carry on however they please who become headlines.

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Gotta have eyes in the back of your head, the one in front of you is the decoy and while fixated on that one the others sneak up from behind. It's dingo strategy.

Years ago, we saw this exact behaviour of dingoes on Fraser Island.

Humans are stoopid

:(

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Going back a few years now but my partner at that time and I were camped by ourselves on Fraser - we'd both been there several times before but had always camped with a group. He was down at the water fishing on this occasion and I could see him from our camp and went to walk down but I kept getting herded by three dingoes back into an open enclosure in the scrub. It was an overcast day and around three in the afternoon. This was not my first experience around wild dingoes. I had to keep doing a kind of backwards sideways walk till I got back to my own camp area and got into the 4WD. I stayed there till my partner came back because I had no idea if the dingoes were still hiding in the scrub around our camp. It was really creepy and scary. Their eyes were so focussed on me and it all felt so predatory. We stayed contained in our tent that night.

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I think Fraser island should be closed off and become a dingo sanctuary for 10 years so that the new generation of dingoes stay away from people. Too many people get attacked.

What!! And spoil some human's fun in order to preserve animals. :eek: What a shocking concept.

But but but, we want to drive our big 4-wheel drives where we want.

why should we care about dumb dingoes

The very idea

:cry:

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I think Fraser island should be closed off and become a dingo sanctuary for 10 years so that the new generation of dingoes stay away from people. Too many people get attacked.

What!! And spoil some human's fun in order to preserve animals. :eek: What a shocking concept.

But but but, we want to drive our big 4-wheel drives where we want.

why should we care about dumb dingoes

The very idea

:cry:

That's what it is all about :mad:mad

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