The grieving parents of Piper James, a Canadian backpacker believed to have drowned on K'gari (formerly Fraser Island), have arrived in Australia to bring their daughter's remains home. Todd and Angela James landed in Brisbane on Tuesday before travelling to the world heritage-listed island for a traditional smoking ceremony conducted by the Butchulla traditional owners.
The ceremony will take place on the beach near the SS Maheno wreck, where Piper's body was found on 19 January after she went for a solo swim. Butchulla director Christine Royan said the ritual is a cultural protocol to bring calm to the land and acknowledge her spirit. A coroner's preliminary assessment found physical evidence consistent with drowning, as well as injuries consistent with dingo bites, though these were unlikely to be fatal.
The incident has sparked controversy over the culling of dingoes. Queensland's environment minister ordered the euthanasia of a pack of 10 dingoes, citing an unacceptable public safety risk after rangers observed aggressive behaviour. As of Tuesday, eight had been euthanised, with one remaining. However, Piper's mother Angela has said killing the dingoes is 'the last thing Piper would want'.
Dingo experts warn the cull could push the isolated population, which has low genetic diversity and fewer than 200 individuals, towards an 'extinction vortex'. Traditional owners, who consider the dingoes sacred, said they were not consulted on the decision. The tragedy is the first fatal dingo attack since 2001, when nine-year-old Clinton Gage was killed.
