A tourist in Australia has been hit with a A$2,300 (£1,293) fine after “brazenly” feeding biscuits to a dingo.
The unnamed 23-year-old man was spotted engaging in the forbidden behaviour while waiting in line for a ferry on K’gari (Fraser Island), an island off the west coast of Australia, just north of Brisbane in Queensland.
Feeding dingos, known as wongari in the local Indigenous dialect, is strictly prohibited, as it can endanger both them and humans.
The young man was spotted giving biscuits to one of the wild dogs in April, and was finally issued a hefty fine this week following an investigation from Queensland’s Department of Environment and Sciences (DES).
“A member of the public told rangers the man was at the front of the vehicle line while he was waiting for the ferry at Hook Point back in April,” DES compliance manager Mike Devery said in a statement, reports The NZ Herald.
“The person said the man was ‘brazenly’ feeding the wongari, and given his place at the front of the queue, his offending was witnessed by multiple people.
“Thankfully, the member of the public was able to take photos of the man as he fed the wongari, and they provided them to rangers.”
The man “admitted to feeding the dingo” during an interview with the DES.
“The man told compliance officers that he threw biscuits in the sand to the wongari when he was cleaning out his vehicle,” said Devery, adding that the practice is banned because “feeding wongari can cause them to become habituated and approach people for food, which can put people and the wongari at risk.”
Dingoes are protected by law on K’gari, and those caught feeding them can be fined up to A$11,500 (£6,457).
It’s the second time in 2022 that someone has been fined for feeding a dingo; a man from Brisbane incurred a A$2,205 (£1,238) earlier this year for giving food to a wongari pup.
