Dingoes attack girl in Australia

Child suffered bite wounds to her legs after attack on Fraser Island in Queensland Two dingoes have been caught and destroyed after they mauled a three-year-old girl on an Australian beach, officials said. The girl suffered bites to her legs when the wild dogs attacked her on Monday after she wandered away from her family and into sand dunes on Fraser Island in north-eastern Queensland state. Two dogs blamed for the attack were trapped on Tuesday and put down humanely, environment department general manager Terry Harper said. More than 200 dingoes live on Fraser Island, a popular tourist spot about 155 miles (250km) north of Brisbane. Fraser Island is thought to be among the last refuges for purebred dingoes, and they are a protected species in the national park that covers the island. Dingoes are also protected in some other parts of Australia, though in many places dingoes that have crossbred with feral dogs are killed as pests because they attack sheep and cattle. The child was lucky to escape with “only” bite wounds, according to the Sydney Morning Herald . Although attacks on humans are relatively rare, visitors to Fraser Island are warned not to feed the dingoes and to leave the animals alone. “This is a very timely reminder for everybody about how important it is to stay very close to your children on Fraser Island,” Harper said. “Adults should always stay very close to their children. We know that [children] do excite dingoes.” A nine-year-old boy was killed by dingoes on Fraser Island in 2001, prompting the culling of more than two dozen dogs and an overhaul of conservation practices, including warnings about human interaction with the animals. The most famous dingo attack in Australia was in 1980, when Lindy Chamberlain reported seeing a dog carry her infant daughter, Azaria, away from a tent during a camping trip to Uluru (formerly known as Ayers Rock). Chamberlain was tried for murder before a series of appeals and judicial inquiries exonerated her and found the dingo claims to be true . Her child’s body was never found. The story was made into the 1988 film A Cry in the Dark, which earned Meryl Streep an Oscar nomination. Animals Australia Wildlife Endangered species Conservation guardian.co.uk

Posted by on April 26, 2011. Filed under News, Politics, World News. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.