Women hurt in dingo attack
Authorities stress that Fraser Island's dingoes are wild animals and will attack when provoked. Photo: AAP
Dingoes have attacked two women while they were jogging on Fraser Island off south-east Queensland.
Paramedics were called to Yidney Rocks on the island about 7:00am on Sunday.
A woman was treated for leg injuries and taken to Hervey Bay hospital.
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Doreen Cash from the Yidney Rocks Beachfront Apartments said the two women were staying at the units.
She said the two dogs “appeared out of nowhere” and started to harass the women.
“She was bitten above the knee and I believe she also had puncture marks lower down on the leg,” Ms Cash said.
She said the woman’s friend received “a grazing bite below the ankle bone”.
“A couple of fishermen came out from the huts that are situated in proximity to where the dogs appeared from and chased the dogs away,” Ms Cash said.
“Had they not, probably the injuries would have been a lot more serious.”
She said she believed the dingoes may have belonged to a pack that attacked a man at nearby Happy Valley in August.
Ms Cash said the attack has “come as a bit of a surprise”.
“These two particular dogs … you’d often see them on the beach and they never interfered with anybody and this has just happened out of the blue,” she said.
Ms Cash said the dingoes were known in the area but had never bothered anyone.
“We’ve never had a real problem with the dingoes, they’ve been adequately managed by Parks,” she said.
“After the attack at Happy Valley there were basically two dogs left and it was those two dogs [from whom] up until this morning we haven’t had one ounce of trouble with.”
Ms Cash said she told other guests to be careful.
“We’ve just made them aware to keep an eye on their children and preferably don’t walk on the beach without there being a group of you,” she said.
Rangers on the island have increased patrols of the area and closed campsites between Poyungan Rocks and Eli Creek for public safety.
The Department of National Parks and Wildlife is investigating.
