The majority of Fraser Island is a national park and home to one of the purest strains of dingoes in Australia. The dingoes are a protected native species on the Island 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 behaviours towards humans.
These problems came to a head in April 2001 when a young boy tragically died following a dingo attack. This incident 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 Qld is regularly contacted by people concerned about the dingoes of Fraser Island. Therefore, RSPCA Qld has developed a position paper to clarify its role with respect to the Fraser Island dingoes. It also has written a discussion paper and some Q & A to help in the general understanding of this important and iconic species.
For further interest, please watch the video above from Bob Irwin on the topic of the Fraser Island dingoes.
