A man allegedly seen feeding a dingo on Fraser Island has been slapped with a hefty fine as rangers work hard to prevent more attacks and negative interactions between the wild animals and people.
On Saturday, a tourism operator allegedly witnessed a person feeding bread to a tagged dingo at Eli Creek and called a Queensland Parks and Wildlife Service (QPWS) ranger.
A Queensland Police Service (QPS) officer who was in the vicinity of Eli Creek spoke to the alleged offender and obtained witness statements from the tourism operator.
The QPS officer and ranger later obtained further witness statements.
On June 1, the QPS officer issued a $2135 Penalty Infringement Notice (PIN) to the man for allegedly deliberately feeding a dingo, along with a $200 fine for taking a vehicle into a recreation area without a permit.
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A spokesperson said QPWS would like to thank the tourism operator who witnessed the alleged feeding for providing a timely report to rangers.
“QPWS would also like to thank the QPS officer for their prompt assistance in this matter,” the spokesperson said.
“Visitors and residents on K’gari are reminded that QPWS rangers or QPS officers don’t have to be present for a person to be fined for dingo offences.
“QPWS rangers and QPS officers take these matters extremely seriously and have zero tolerance for people who intentionally feed or interfere with dingoes.”
The QPWS said people who fed and interfered with dingoes put themselves and other people in danger, and rangers would hold offenders accountable.
Anyone who deliberately fed or interacted with dingoes or failed to secure their food and rubbish could expect a fine or to appear in court.
“Dingoes on K’gari are not starving and have access to plenty of natural food. Feeding dingoes can result in the animals becoming habituated, and they can lose their natural wariness of people.”
People are encouraged to remain vigilant and report any concerning dingo encounters to a QPWS ranger or phone 07 4127 9150 or email dingo.ranger@des.qld.gov.au as soon as possible.
