The parents of Canadian backpacker Piper James have arrived in Australia to visit K'gari (formerly Fraser Island) as part of their journey to return their daughter's remains to Canada. Todd and Angela James landed in Brisbane from Vancouver on Tuesday, expressing their grief on social media but declining to speak to the press.
The couple will attend a traditional smoking ceremony conducted by the Butchulla traditional owners near the SS Maheno wreck, where Piper's body was found on 19 January after an early morning solo swim. Christine Royan, director of the Butchulla Aboriginal Corporation, said the ceremony 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 and injuries consistent with dingo bites, though these were unlikely to be fatal. The final cause of death is pending pathology results, expected in several weeks.
Despite the inconclusive findings, Queensland's environment minister ordered the euthanasia of an entire pack of 10 dingoes, citing aggressive behaviour and public safety risks. As of Tuesday, eight dingoes had been humanely euthanised, with one still outstanding. The decision has drawn criticism from dingo experts, who warn of an extinction vortex for the already inbred population of fewer than 200 individuals on the island.
Piper's mother, Angela, has stated that both parents believe killing the dingoes is the last thing Piper would want. Traditional owners of K'gari, who consider the dingoes sacred and call them wongari, said they were not consulted nor involved in the cull. The tragedy marks the first fatal dingo encounter on the island since 2001, when nine-year-old Clinton Gage was killed.
