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On Friday, two tourists visiting the popular K’gari island, which was formerly known as the Frasler Island, were fined AU$2,300 by the Australian authorities for clicking selfies with the dingoes. Their act of taking selfies was considered extremely dangerous and they were lucky to have left the islands without having encountered any attacks. This was due to absence of mother of the pups. This information was stated by an official working with the Queensland Parks and Wildlife Service (QPWS).
Dingo is the name given to these wild dogs that are native to Australia. They are also known by another name ‘Warrigal’ and are believed to be the member of the Canidae group. They are often considered similar to the domestic dogs due to their habits and body structure. They either hunt alone or in groups of 2 to 12 and mostly prey on small rodents, rabbits and at times on livestock.
Instances of attacks by Dingoes
There have been many incidents of attacks by these wild dogs on different age groups like that ranging from a seven-year-old boy to 42-year-old woman . In another incident that took place on monday this week, a woman who was jogging had to escape into the nearby ocean to seek refuge from these wild dogs. She was later helped by two men who happened to witness this incident while driving their car.
People who get attacked are treated for the serious injuries after being bitten by the dingoes. In an another heart-wrenching incident a 10-year-old boy being dragged into underwaters by a dingo in June this year.
Animal attacks in India
India is no stranger to witnessing frequent animal attacks, according to a survey of 2024 conducted by an international research team which also included members from the Wildlife Institute of India, Dehradun and the Barasat Government College, Kolkata. Its findings inform that approximately 5,440 carnivore attacks on humans occurred between 1950 and 2019. It also tells us that the most frequent type of carnivore attacks to occur in India throughout the year is that of the attacks by leopards, tigers and wolfs in addition to witnessing attacks by other animals such as dogs, elephants, bears, snakes, etc.
The most recent case was that which took place in July of this year where a three-and-half-year-old girl was attacked by a stray dog in Anchuthengu district of Kerala. She suffered serious injuries on her face, neck and years. She had tested positive for rabies as well.
Safety Tips to follow during wildlife encounters
General awareness on the safety tips that must be followed while encountering wildlife is the need of the hour. Some of the tips include staying calm and not running away from the animal which might startle the latter and cause them to attack. The animal must be allowed to retreat and leave the place by giving them their time and space. Another important aspect is to never feed the wild animals as this might make them more aggressive towards you in order to receive food in more quantity.
It is highly advised to stay safe and to detect areas where such wild animals might be spotted. One needs to stay highly vigilant and report any such sightings to the rangers to prevent any life-threatening attacks.
