Mayor calls for ban on children outside K’gari fenced areas after spate of dingo attacks
Children aged under 12 and their families should be banned from camping outside fenced-off areas of K’gari due to recent dingo attacks, the local mayor says.
Fraser Coast mayor George Seymour has written to the Queensland government to outline his proposal to prevent what he fears could be a fatal attack by a dingo on a child.
“This is getting to the stage where it is frightening, whether the next one will be a fatality or not,” Seymour told the ABC. He was not available for interview on Monday.
Sign up to The Nightly's newsletters.
Get the first look at the digital newspaper, curated daily stories and breaking headlines delivered to your inbox.
By continuing you agree to our Terms and Privacy Policy.“I just don’t think that it is an appropriate place for children to be, given the number of attacks.”
The island has several fenced camping areas, including at Central Station and Waddy Point.
However, many designated camping zones do not have fenced-off areas.
Families with children aged under 14 are encouraged to camp in fenced areas.
State government MPs have declined to back the proposal on Monday.
“We’ll of course act on the advice of experts, before we take any further action,” treasurer Cameron Dick said.
The latest dingo attack on K’gari resulted in a four-year-old girl being flown to hospital with bite marks to her chest on August 17.
She was part of a large group of people fishing at NgKala Rocks on the eastern side of the island.
A two-year-old boy was bitten on the leg in June and a 10-year-old boy bitten on the back of his leg after a dingo chased him out of the water in April.
Children should be kept at arm’s length at all times when visiting K’gari and visitors should carry a stick, remain vigilant and never walk alone.
- With AAP
