A 58-year-old man has been fined $2,476 for feeding dingoes, known as wongari, on K’gari island in Queensland.
The incident occurred at eastern beach last Thursday and was captured on film.
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The fine came after a tipoff from a concerned public member, leading to the man’s identification and subsequent penalty of $2,476.
Queensland Parks and Wildlife Service (QPWS) rangers were alarmed by the man’s actions.
Mike Devery, QPWS manager for compliance optimisation, expressed concern over the action.
“This man has made a dangerous decision to feed and interact with wongari, and his actions could cause legacy issues on the island,” he said.
Mr Devery said such interactions could lead to dingoes associating people with food, potentially worsening the situation.
Fraser island has experienced several high-risk dingo incidents, including theft of food, stalking, circling, lunging, and biting.
One severe attack involved a woman being hospitalised after being bitten by at least three dingoes while jogging on an eastern beach.
“Sadly, we have euthanised three habituated wongari in 2023, including one at the weekend, because people ignored the rules.”
Despite these incidents, rangers have resisted calls for a dingo cull on the island, instead urging all visitors to refrain from feeding the animals.
He said feeding dingos can have a detrimental impact on their behaviour, ultimately putting them and visitors at risk.
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