Dingo attacks on humans are rare in Australia, and when they do occur are generally on young children.[1] [2] However, dingoes are much more of a danger to livestock, especially to sheep and young cattle.[3] The 5614adj=midNaNadj=mid Dingo Fence was constructed in Southeast Australia to protect the livestock there from attacks.[4]
Wild dogs are fairly large predators, but are much smaller than able-bodied adults and therefore not generally much of a threat to them. However, they can be a serious threat to incapacitated, isolated, outnumbered, or very small humans, especially infants and young children.[5] [6] [7]
Humans and dingoes generally tend to avoid each other. In some situations, however, such as on K'gari and some locations in the Northern Territory, close interaction between dingoes and humans, especially feeding dingoes, has led to dangerous habituation and attacks.
Dingo attacks on livestock, however, are fairly common occurrences and a serious concern for the Australian livestock industry.
The likelihood of wild dog attacks on humans depends to a large degree on how humans behave toward them. The more frequently these dogs are fed or scavenge human leftovers, the more likely it is that they lose all caution and sometimes react aggressively towards humans when they perceive themselves to be in conflict with the human. During a study on K'gari dingoes, the researchers reasoned that the presence of humans influences the activity of dingoes. The tourism industry on the island encouraged people to approach dingoes without caution, and such encounters were practically expected by the tourists. People lost their caution when dealing with dingoes more and more frequently, and the number of reported interactions increased. The way the dingoes reacted towards humans was dependent on the way humans behaved toward them. Dingoes tended to show aggressive behaviour when humans fled, and tended to be intimidated when humans consciously or aggressively moved towards them. Humans making submissive postures seemed to cause a neutral or submissive reaction of the dingoes. That dingoes showed aggressive behaviour towards humans seemed to be similarly likely during different times of the year. However, adult dingoes might be more dangerous during the breeding season, and female dingoes especially when they raise their pups.
Even when habituation to humans seems to be the cause for attacks, it is not clear what the ultimate cause for attacks and overall threat towards humans is. It is possible that some attacks result from the "play" of young pups, especially with children. Attacks can also be caused by false reactions of humans to aggressive and dominance behaviour of dingoes. It is assumed that dingoes might have started to regard "human" food sources (garbage cans, leftovers, handouts, etc.) as part of their territory and that attacks on humans can therefore occur because the dingoes see humans as competitors and want to protect their food sources. That some dingoes might regard humans as prey was also deemed possible because humans, especially children, could be theoretically overpowered.[8] [9]
Some tourists seemed confused by the high numbers of rules in some parks and in some cases have been observed to actively feed the wild animals.[10]
In December 1933, when three girls went missing near Mount Coot-tha,[11] the possibility of their having been attacked by dingoes was considered. Local livestock men who live and work among dingoes all their lives, said that they had no direct knowledge of any dingo attacks on humans, but from what they knew of the animal, they reasoned that a starving dingo would attack a defenseless human. Some had heard of human remains found scattered by dingoes. Scholarly experts couldn't comment due to contradictory evidence.[12] The three girls were found unharmed two days later. Dingoes played no part in their disappearance.[13]
The first well-documented case of a dingo attack on K'gari is from 1988. As early as 60 years before, a newspaper account reported of problems with dingoes. Between 1996 and 2001, 279 incidents with dingoes were reported, of which 39 were assessed as "major" and one as "catastrophic".[14]
Three reports of dingo attacks on humans caused special attention:
Below is a partial list of dingo attacks and alleged dingo attacks that occurred in Australia, in reverse chronological order.
| Victim(s) | Date | Location | Description | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Woman, 20's | 17 July 2023 | K'gari, Queensland | A woman is attacked by four dingoes while jogging at Orchid Beach on K'gari. She is flown by rescue helicopter to Hervey Bay Hospital suffering bite wounds to her limbs and torso.[22] | |
| Boy, 10 | 16 June 2023 | K'gari, Queensland | A ten-year-old boy is attacked and dragged to the water by a dingo which then attempts to drown the boy by holding his head under the water but the boys is rescued by his 12-year-old sister.[23] | |
| Boy, 4 | 2 June 2023 | Karijini National Park, Western Australia | A four year old boy is bitten on the leg by a dingo at Dales Campground.[24] | |
| Woman | Late April or May 2023 | K'gari, Queensland | A French tourist is bitten on the buttocks by a dingo with video of the incident widely circulated in the media. | |
| Woman, 20's | 30 April 2023 | K'gari, Queensland | A woman receives treatment for puncture wounds to her upper leg after being bitten by a dingo at Eli Creek.[25] | |
| Boy, 2 | 14 April 2023 | Karijini National Park | A two year old boy is attacked by a dingo at Dales Campground at Karijini National Park and suffers serious injuries.[26] | |
| Girl, 6 | 3 April 2023 | K'gari, Queensland | A six-year-old girl is attacked by a dingo while she plays in a shallow lagoon at Waddy Point, which attempts to drown the girl by holding her head underwater before family members were able to rescue the girl.[27] | |
| Boy, 5 | 18 December 2022 | K'gari, Queensland | A five year old boy is attacked by a dingo near the Ocean Lake camping area on K'gari and suffers injuries to his arm, buttocks and head before his father is able to chase the dingo away.[28] | |
| Boy, 2 | 17 April 2021 | K'gari, Queensland | A 2-year-old boy wandered away from a house at Orchid Beach while his family was asleep and was attacked, suffering wounds to his leg, arm, the base of his neck, his shoulder and also had a laceration at the base of his head.[29] | |
| Boy, 8 | 4 February 2021 | K'gari, Queensland | The boy and his father were at Orchid Beach and walking past a pack of dingoes when one of the juveniles got up and started walking towards the boy, who then stumbled in the sand and fell over and the dingoes or the dingo then advanced on the boy, but were scared away by the father.[30] | |
| Boy, 14 months old | 18 April 2019 | K'gari, Queensland | A dingo entered a family's camper trailer under its canvas and then dragged the child out while the family was asleep. The screams of the child alerted the father, who gave chase, rescued the child and also scared off a number of other dingos. The child was airlifted to Hervey Bay Hospital with deep lacerations to the back of the neck and head, he also suffered a fractured skull.[31] | |
| Boy, 9, and woman, 24 | 28 February 2019 | K'gari, Queensland | A 9-year-old boy was returning to his campsite from an afternoon swim with his family when they were approached by 2 dingoes and were attacked by them. He suffered serious injuries, including lacerations to his arms, legs and suffered a bite mark to his face. The same dingoes also attacked his 24-year-old mother as she tried to protect him, causing "deep injuries" to her arms and legs. Both were airlifted to Sunshine Coast University Hospital.[32] | |
| Boy, 6 | 19 January 2019 | K'gari, Queensland | A female dingo and her 3 sub-adult offspring attacked the boy when he ran up a sand dune near the Govi Camping Ground, south of Eurong. He was airlifted to hospital and treated for puncture wounds and scratches to his legs.[33] | |
| Debbie Rundle, 54 | 18 July 2018 | Telfer, Western Australia | While eating lunch, she was attacked by three dingos, leg severely injured, torn to the bone requiring major surgery[34] | |
| 2 unnamed females in 20s or 30s | 26 October 2014 | K'gari, Queensland | Two Australian women bitten while jogging; one of the women was hospitalised[35] | |
| A family, other unnamed tourists | November 2012 | K'gari, Queensland | A six-month-old dingo was killed by rangers on K'gari after continued aggressive and dangerous behaviour towards people. The dangerous behaviour included "lunging" at a family, coming out of the bushland at high speed towards volleyball players, and grabbing two tourists on separate occasions with his mouth, not breaking the skin on either occasion. Rangers attempted to trap the dangerous dingo for a month before they were successful. The captured animal was then euthanised. One dingo advocacy group argued that, as a juvenile, the dingo's aggressive behaviours would be considered normal for his young age. Soon after the dingo's brother was killed by rangers, although documented incidents for this dog never reached the serious Code E level his brother's had. | |
| Girl, 13 | 15 July 2012 | Jabiru inside Kakadu National Park, Northern Territory | Victorian girl woke to a dingo dragging her sleeping bag. She was sleeping on a mattress outside her family's caravan.[36] | |
| Girl, 3 | 26 April 2011 | K'gari, Queensland | A three-year-old girl was attacked on K'gari by two dingoes. She suffered serious puncture wounds to her leg.[37] [38] | |
| Woman | 21 April 2009 | Stuart Highway near Devils Marbles, Northern Territory | Michelle Robson, a nurse who had just left a job at Alice Springs Hospital was travelling with her partner Ihab Hassan when their car left the road and Ms Robson was injured. Mr Hassan moved Ms Robson to the shade of a tree and went to get help. While he was gone Ms Robson had to use a stick to fend off a dingo which attacked her, and was bitten on the hand in the process.[39] | |
| Girl, 4 | April 2007 | K'gari, Queensland | Young girl severely bitten.[40] | |
| Girl, 4 | September 2006 | K'gari, Queensland | A four year old girl is bitten on the stomach by a dingo as she played in shallow water near Eurong.[41] | |
| Woman | March 2003 | K'gari, Queensland | A British woman is bitten by a dingo and sustains a slight bruise and grazing.[42] | |
| Clinton Gage, 9-year-old male | April 2001 | Near Waddy Point on K'gari, Queensland | Clinton Gage was attacked and killed. The incident and the resultant killing of 31 dingoes caused a large outcry among the residents. There were many protests and the suggestion was made to erect fences. | |
| Woman, 63 | February 1999 | K'gari, Queensland | A 63-year-old German tourist was mauled by two dingoes as she lay sun baking at Lake McKenzie.[43] | |
| Girl, 13-month-old | 4 April 1998 | K'gari, Queensland | A dingo snatched a 13-month-old baby from the Waddy Point camping ground and dragged her for two metres before the baby's father was alerted to the baby's screams enabling him to rescue his daughter.[44] It was one of two separate dingo attacks which occurred on the same day. | |
| Girl, 3 | 4 April 1998 | K'gari, Queensland | A three-year-old Norwegian girl was attacked by a dingo as she and her family camped at Lake McKenzie.[45] It was one of two separate dingo attacks which occurred on the same day.[46] | |
| Two women | March 1998 | K'gari, Queensland | Two British backpackers are attacked by a dingo while washing camping utensils in the sea. One of the women was bitten 14 times and was hospitalised. | |
| Boy, 5 | 19 March 1997 | K'gari, Queensland | A five year old Gympie boy is injured when he is attacked by two dingoes while playing hide and seek with his younger sister near the dining area of Eurong resort.[47] | |
| Azaria Chamberlain, 2-month-old | August 1980 | Uluru, Northern Territory | Notorious case which gained international attention. Azaria's mother Lindy Chamberlain was initially convicted of murdering Azaria, but was later exonerated. In 2012 the official verdict was amended to state that Azaria was killed by dingoes. | |
| Girl, 4 | 1979 | Darwin, Northern Territory | A four-year-old girl is attacked by another person's pet dingo after it escaped from the chain it was tethered to. She suffers multiple puncture wounds and scarring. The girl was awarded $5110 in damages.[48] | |
| Lyall Fuller, adult male | September 1942 | near Woolgoolga, New South Wales | Fuller believed he had shot a dingo dead, but when he walked over it "sprang to its feet and flew at him". He then clubbed it to death with his rifle, before dismembering it and using it as lobster bait. He stated that "the dingo had her pups hidden nearby and this apparently was the reason for the violence of the attack".[49] | |
| Ted Worth, adult male | September 1942 | near Glen Innes, New South Wales | "Savaged" by a dingo that had been caught in a rabbit trap.[50] | |
| Gordon Philp, adult male | October 1938 | Boonah, Queensland | Philip found a "large dingo" attacking his calf and was then pursued by the dingo into a creek. He forced it underwater until it drowned.[51] | |
| Gilbert Hamilton, adult male | September 1936 | Bilambil, New South Wales | Fended off the attack with a sack of bananas, then by throwing stones to scare the dingo away.[52] | |
| Ian Pollard, 3-year-old male | January 1935 | Hillview, Queensland | Bitten on the forehead, requiring stitches. The dingo had escaped from captivity.[53] | |
| George Cox and two other adult men | May 1928 | Merewether, New South Wales | Attacked by a pack of seven dingoes while returning from fishing. He fended off the attack with a stick and climbed up a tree. He was eventually found by two other men searching for him, whom the dingoes also attacked.[54] | |
| Teenage boy | December 1927 | Nambour, Queensland | A farmer's son searching for missing sheep was attacked by four or five dingoes. He was rescued without injury when his screams were heard.[55] | |
| Edgar Tighe, 3-year-old male | January 1916 | Dangar, Queensland | Found dead with "one leg bitten off either by foxes or dingoes".[56] | |
| John Pallier, adult male | September 1909 | Illawarra Range, New South Wales | Spent the night in a tree after being attacked by a pack of dingoes, who continued to stalk him for several days.[57] | |
| Girl, 12 | Cuppacumbalong Homestead, present-day ACT | Found to have been killed and eaten by dingoes after running away from home. Reported by John Gale in a 1927 book about the history of Canberra,[58] and by Samuel Shumack in his autobiography published posthumously in 1967.[59] |
Dingos frequently prey on sheep, goats and cattle when they have the chance. Because of this, the Dingo Fence, one of the longest structures in the world, was constructed to limit dingo migration into agricultural regions.[4] Cattle are usually quite capable of defending themselves against dog attacks and the losses for cattle owners are therefore usually low, but sheep are extremely vulnerable and their behaviour in the presence of a predator can often lead to surplus killing. Some notable dingo attacks on animals which have appeared in reliable sources:
| Name, age | Date | Species | Location, comments |
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic dogs | December 2011 | dingo | Marrara in the northern suburbs of Darwin, Northern Territory, two dogs taken by a dingo or dingoes in two days.[60] |
| young calf | July 2009 | dingo | Kawana Forest near Caloundra, pair of young dingoes killed the calf[61] |
| £1000 worth of sheep | 1941–8 | dingo | Tumbarumba, 13yo dingo "weighed 100 lb. andmeasured six feet from tip to tip."[62] |
| at least 1000 sheep | 1942 | dingo | Captain's Flat[63] |
| 200+ sheep | 1939 | dingo | Billa Billa near Goondiwindi[64] |
| "many sheep" | 1937 | Alsatian-dingo cross | Oranmeir near Braidwood[65] |
| 10 wallabies | 1936 | dingo | Melbourne Zoo[66] |
| 300 sheep | 1933 | dingo | Benalla[67] |
| sheep, goats, cattle | 1924 | dingo | Lake Nash district, dingoes described as being extremely numerous and troublesome[68] |
| 600+ sheep | years before 1916 | dingo | Between Deepwater and "Dundee River" (Dundee?)[69] |
Articles published about dingo attacks blame them on habituation, especially through the intentional and unintentional feeding of dingoes. The more frequently these animals are fed or allowed to scavenge on waste food, the more likely they are to react aggressively towards humans when they no longer receive or find food. It is further thought that dingoes might have started to regard the food sources found (garbage cans, leftovers and handouts) as part of their territory. Attacks then occur with humans seen as competition, and dingoes simply reacting to protect their food supply.
Even when habituation to humans seems to be the general cause for attacks, it is not absolutely clear, and therefore the overall threat towards people is not known for sure. Some attacks might result from the "play" of young pups, especially with children. Attacks can also be caused by mistaken reactions of humans to aggressive and dominant behaviour of dingoes. That some dingoes might regard humans as prey is a possibility, as children or incapacitated adults could be theoretically overpowered.[8] [9] Dr. Bradley Smith said that K'gari has a problem with humans and not with the dingoes, that dogs who were labelled "aggressive" were simply behaving naturally.[70]
The behaviour of humans might undermine efforts to guard against dingo attacks. Therefore, the change in human behaviour is at the centre of attention. Warning signs like "Beware of Dingoes" seem to have lost their effect on K'gari, despite the high number of such signs. Furthermore, some humans do not realise how adaptive and quick dingoes are. Therefore, humans do not remain attentive enough. They do not consider, for instance, that dingoes steal food like fruits and vegetables. In addition, some tourists seemed to be confused by the high number of rules in some parks, and they have been prompted in some cases to actively feed the wild animals.[8] [10] [14] [9]