A 19-year-old Canadian woman has been found dead on a beach on K'gari (formerly Fraser Island) in Queensland, with a pack of dingoes nearby. Her body was discovered at about 6:15am on Monday near the Maheno shipwreck by two men driving along the eastern beaches. She had left her backpacker hostel up to 75 minutes earlier, telling colleagues she was heading to the beach.
Queensland police have not confirmed the cause of death, pending a postmortem expected on Wednesday. They have refused to speculate whether she drowned or was killed by dingoes, though experts say both are possible. The eastern beaches are unpatrolled and known for strong currents, sharks, and marine stingers, and the state's environment department does not recommend swimming there.
Two campsites—Maheno and Wahba—have been closed, and park rangers are increasing patrols. New signs have been installed to warn of dingo activity. The acting environment and tourism minister, Deb Frecklington, described the incident as a 'heart-breaking tragedy' and said the Queensland Parks and Wildlife Service is working with police.
Violent dingo interactions have risen in recent years, with incidents including a jogger being bitten and several dingoes being euthanised. Experts attribute the increase to tourists feeding dingoes and engaging in risky behaviour, such as taking selfies. Bradley Smith, a dingo researcher, said the animals are often underestimated due to their small size. He cautioned against sensationalism, while Georgette Leah Burns, an anthropologist, recalled the 2001 death of a nine-year-old boy by dingoes, which led to a cull of 31 animals.
