Police have launched an investigation into the death of a Canadian woman whose body was found surrounded by a pack of dingos on the Australian island of K'gari on Monday.
The woman, 19, had reportedly gone for a swim at a beach north of the Maheno Wreck on K’gari, formerly known as Fraser Island, at around 5am local time.
Two men driving near Orchid Beach noticed a pack of dingoes at around 6.30am and, upon closer inspection, found the unresponsive woman, Wide Bay district inspector Paul Algie said.
The dogs had bitten the woman’s body but it was uncertain if the injuries were fatal, Mr Algie said, adding that investigators were still working to determine the cause of death.
“It was obviously a very dramatic and horrific scene for them to uncover,” the officer said, according to 9News. “I can confirm there was markings on her body consistent with having been touched and interfered with by the dingoes."
The woman, who wasn’t named, had been working at a backpackers’ hostel with her friend for the past six weeks.
Mr Algie said the friend was left "extremely traumatised".
"They are absolutely horrified and shocked at what's occurred,” he said. “We’re acutely aware of how deeply this impacts not only the community that lives on K'gari, but also the many, many thousands of people that visit there each year.”
The woman’s body was transferred to mainland Queensland on Monday afternoon for an autopsy as police made efforts to contact her parents in Canada.
Mr Algie said police were working with local rangers, community members, and the environment and science departments to understand what exactly happened in that short period when the woman was out on the beach.
Authorities advised residents and visitors on K’gari to keep their distance and avoid any interaction with dingoes.
"Dingoes are wild animals. Whilst they are very culturally significant to the local First Nations people and to the people that live on the island, they’re still wild animals and need to be treated as such," Mr Algie said.
Although the dogs are generally not aggressive, there are records of attacks on people and their pets.
Some dingoes that are considered aggressive are tagged and monitored by rangers.
The Queensland government routinely urges tourists not to feed dingoes, to walk in groups and to carry a stick to avoid negative dingo interactions.
