A five-year-old boy has been hospitalised after being mauled by a dingo while playing on the beach, as Australian authorities say the wild dog will not be euthanised.
The child had been visiting Ocean Lake campground on the island of K’gari, Queensland on Sunday afternoon with his parents when he was approached by the dingo.
The wild dog jumped on him and started biting him while the boy's father raced over to separate the pair.
The boy was rushed to hospital soon after with multiple bites to his head, arm and back.
Linda Behrendorff, the ranger in charge of Natural Resource Management, said the animal would not be euthanised nor relocated.
“At this stage, we’ve got extra rangers in the area and we’re doing more ‘be dingo safe’ education,” Ms Behrendorff said.
The ranger went on to say that the attack happened in an unfenced section of the island.
The child was within close proximity to his parents when he was ambushed by the lone dingo.
“These parents were keeping an eye on these children," she added.
"It’s just if you’re camping in an unfenced area, be aware that [you’re in] a remote area where there are wild dingoes around.”
The boy was taken with his family by ambulance to a helipad on the island, before he and his mum were flown to Hervey Bay Hospital, the Herald Sun reports.
The attack came just two weeks after Queensland's state government issued a warning about an unexpected increase in dingo presence in the area.
A new seven-kilometre fence was completed just days earlier, wrapping around the nearby Orchid Beach township, in a bid to reduce persistent attacks on the island.
The new fence was built less than 10 kilometres away from where Sunday's dingo attack occurred.
Back in August, Queensland Parks and Forests issued a warning that dingo relocation in the area would start from December 3 and run for two weeks, until December 17.
“Wongari (dingo) activity may increase inside and outside the fence, on beaches and in unfenced camping areas,” the warning read.
“Rangers will increase patrols and monitor the impact closely.”
