Woman mauled by dingoes on morning run in Australia
Passersby at an Australian vacation destination had to punch their way through the pack of wild dogs to get the Brisbane runner to safety
Photo by:
Rae Wallace/Unsplash
A woman in her early 20s was viciously attacked by a pack of dingoes while she was on her morning run on the island of K’gari, also known as Fraser Island, on Monday morning, leaving her with “multiple bite wounds” on her torso and limbs that resulted in her being airlifted to hospital.
Rangers on the island—a popular tourist destination located off the coast of Queensland, Australia— said a pack of at least three dingoes started to chase the woman, identified as Sarah Peet of Brisbane, while she was on her morning run on Orchid Beach at about 9 a.m. local time, according to a report published by the Yarrawanga Chronicle.
As they approached, she veered into the ocean to put distance between herself and the dingoes, but they continued their pursuit. Two men in a four-wheel-drive vehicle came to her aid to chase the animals away. Australia’s Sky News reports the men had to punch the dingoes to free Peet from the attack. One of the men was reportedly injured in the process. They then put her in the back of the vehicle and drove her to safety. A rescue helicopter was flown to the north-east side of the island and the woman was taken to Hervey Bay Hospital to be treated for her bite wounds. She reportedly had more than 30 lacerations as a result of the attack.
Monday’s attack was the latest by dingoes—medium-sized wild dogs native to Australia that are descended from the grey wolf—that have prompted warnings in the area.
#FraserIsland – Paramedics are responding to reports of a patient suffering multiple bite wounds from dingoes at around 9.15am. The rescue helicopter has been tasked to attend.
— Queensland Ambulance (@QldAmbulance) July 17, 2023
Earlier this month, an eight-year-old boy was bitten by two dogs while he was walking along the beach. In June, a dingo dragged another boy, 10, underwater. Also last month, rangers euthanized a dingo following months of attacks that saw a seven-year-old boy and a 42-year-old woman bitten.
Rangers have attributed the rise in attacks by dingoes on the island to greater numbers of people defying restrictions on feeding and interacting with the animals. The dingo population on the island is estimated at between 100 and 200.
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