Repeat offender hit with hefty fine for feeding dingo
A woman has copped the maximum fine after she was caught feeding dingoes at a popular holiday destination – and it wasn’t her first offence.
A woman faces a big fine after she was caught feeding a dingo at a popular holiday island in her second offence.
A ranger caught the woman on dashcam giving food to a dingo, which is illegal, on November 24 on K’gari-Fraser Island.
She had been fishing on the beach at Waddy Point, according to the Department of the Environment, Tourism, Science and Innovation.
The 26-year-old woman threw a small fish to a nearby young dingo, which it carried up the beach to eat.
She admitted to feeding the animal and was fined $2580, the maximum on-the-spot penalty. The maximum court penalty for feeding a dingo is $26,614.
Rangers soon discovered the same woman had been fined $413 in 2022 for having food available in her campsite at the Wongai camping area.
“It is frustrating to have a repeat offender on the island who doesn’t care about the safety of people or dingoes,” said Mike Devery a compliance manager at the environment department.
Stay informed, daily
“Hopefully she has learned an expensive lesson this time, and we hope the dingo doesn’t suffer any adverse effects after being fed.”
Devery said feeding dingoes even once is enough to teach them to associate humans with food which can put the animal and person at risk.
Once habituated, dingoes can approach unsuspecting people for food and become aggressive if they don’t receive it.
There have been 21 dingo attacks on the island this year.
