A dingo authorities say attacked two young children at a popular tourist spot in Western Australia's north has been "humanely destroyed" by rangers.
A four-year-old boy was bitten on the leg by the dingo in Karijini National Park at Dales Campground on Saturday evening.
It was in the same section where a mother "fought off" a dingo that attacked her two-year-old son, leaving him with serious but non-life threatening injuries in April.
The four-year-old's family took him to Tom Price Hospital, where he was treated for minor injuries and discharged later that evening.
A Parks and Wildlife Service spokesperson said rangers believed the same dingo was responsible for both incidents, based on accounts from the boys' parents and other witnesses.
The spokesperson said the attacks were unprovoked and the dingo was humanely destroyed late on Monday.
They said rangers had been conducting early morning and evening patrols to try to "locate and humanely destroy the animal" since the April attack.
Despite several sightings, the rangers had not been able to euthanise the problem dingo safely, away from visitors, until this week.
The Warlu Loop section of Dales Campground was closed to visitors on Monday but has since been re-opened.
The spokesperson said the decision to destroy a dangerous animal was always a last resort, but the dingo's "unprovoked, aggressive behaviour" was putting the safety of visitors at risk.
"Anyone who has a dingo encounter in a Parks and Wildlife Service managed campground or park should report details to park staff or a campground host," the spokesperson said.
Reasons behind attacks
Dingo behaviour expert Bradley Smith said the animals were very smart and could recognise ranger uniforms and vehicles, which made them harder to catch.
"When they're around a campground and they see a ranger, they bugger off … so rangers can sometimes have a bit of trouble getting a hold of them," he said.
Dr Smith, who is also a senior lecturer in psychology at the Central Queensland University, said food at the campground was likely attracting dingoes that wanted to take advantage of an easy meal.
The dingo attack in April happened about 7pm and the four-year-old was bitten at about 6pm.
"It's dinner time for people and also for dingoes, they're … active at dawn and dusk, so around seven o'clock is when they're really awake," Dr Smith said.
"We call it 'reading the newspaper', [they're] going around their territory, seeing what's happening," he said.
Dr Smith said it was almost the end of dingo breeding season, which could also have contributed to the attacks.
"Our research is showing that's when dingoes are most active and most likely to be more bold and pushy in these kinds of contexts," he said.
Advice for campers
Dr Smith said people should never feed dingoes or keep food around their campsite.
He said it was important to supervise children in areas where dingoes were known to live.
"If you're really getting approached and feeling a bit nervous about a dingo growling at you or jumping around, you can stand up tall and back away from the dingo," Dr Smith said.
"Don't run as that can trigger their prey drive and they'll chase you … just act calm and don't react."
