Fraser Island, located off the Queensland coast at Hervey Bay, north of Brisbane, is home to one of the purest strains of dingoes in Australia. The dingoes are a protected native species on the Island as the majority of the island is a national park even though they are a declared pest elsewhere in Queensland. Fraser Island is also a significant tourist destination and the dingoes are part of that attraction.
However, in certain parts of the island human/dingo interactions have led to significant problems such as dingoes displaying aggressive behaviour towards humans.
These problems came to a head in April 2001 when, tragically, a young boy died following a dingo attack. This incidence confirmed the risk dingoes pose to humans and led to the Queensland Government rethinking their approach to dingo management on the island. The immediate response was a cull of the dingoes followed by the development of the Fraser Island Dingo Management Strategy (FIDMS) 2001.
RSPCA Queensland is regularly contacted by people concerned about the dingoes of Fraser Island and plays an active role in working to protect their welfare. Please see these links at QLD RSPCA for more information:
