A woman was attacked by a pack of dingos while running on Australia’s Orchid Beach early Monday morning. She suffered multiple bite wounds on her limbs and torso and was flown to nearby Hervey Bay Hospital in stable condition.
Rangers say that while jogging, the 24-year-old woman was attacked by three dingos and managed to escape by running into the water.
Two men who witnessed the incident rushed into the ocean to help, placing the injured woman in the back of their vehicle and driving her to safety. One of the men injured his hand during the rescue attempt.
Despite increasing attacks, the rangers have rejected calls to control the dingo population at the tourist destination.
“Culling in the situation on K’gari is not an option—culling for the sake of culling,” head ranger Linda Behrendorff told The Guardian. “Our job is to mitigate risk. You need to know the individuals, you need to work with the individual dingos, and you also need to work with the situation that those dingos are in.”
Behrendorff told The Guardian that at least one of the pack animals was previously classified as a risk and was fitted with a tracking device. “One of the dingos we have identified has been involved in a previous incident which was involved in contact. It was lunging with an intent to make contact,” Behrendorff said.
Since 2011, rangers have used the collars to track dingo movements and dingo-human interactions on the island. The collars are lightweight and designed to be worn by the animals for three months before automatically detaching.
The attack is just the latest in a string of incidents involving the animals in recent weeks. Earlier in July, an 8-year-old was attacked on a beach, and in June, a 10-year-old boy was dragged underwater. Another dingo had to be euthanized that same month after biting a 7-year-old boy and a 42-year-old woman.
Rangers believe the rise in attacks is a direct result of an increasing number of people disregarding restrictions to interact with and feed the estimated 100 to 200 dingos on the island.
“We need to work with people that are visiting the island—how not to put yourself in a situation that may lead to a compromising position,” Behrendorff said.
If you are ever faced with wild animals while on a run, either in nature or in an urban setting, there are several ways to protect yourself and the animal to ensure a happy and safe run.
Laura Ratliff is a New York City-based writer, editor, and runner. Laura's writing expertise spans numerous topics, ranging from travel and food and drink to reported pieces covering political and human rights issues. She has previously worked at Architectural Digest, Bloomberg News, and Condé Nast Traveler and was most recently the senior editorial director at TripSavvy. Like many of us, Laura was bitten by the running bug later in life, after years of claiming to "hate running." Her favorite marathon is Big Sur.
