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A video of a tourist deliberately touching an electrified dingo grill on K’Gari has been branded “reckless” by authorities.
The footage shows the man laughing as he knelt on the sand above the metal gate, designed to deter dingoes from crossing in certain areas, before reaching out, being zapped and then rolling away on the ground, apparently in pain.
Onlookers can be heard in the clip as they urged him to “do one more”.
Queensland’s Department of Environment, Science and Innovation (DESI) told Daily Mail Australia it had seen the video and condemned the behavior as dangerous.
“This type of behavior is reckless and can endanger the person’s life and damage infrastructure intended to protect people from dingoes,” a spokesperson said.
The tourist appears to be joking that he touched the electrified fence before doing so and he receives a significant shock which sends him back to the sand.
The Queensland Government recently installed 16 dingo deterrent grills on K’Gari, formerly Fraser Island, in a bid to prevent dingoes from venturing into towns and campsites after a number of recent attacks on dingoes. visitors.
The 12-volt power grids are made of metal mesh placed on metal grids, powered by solar energy and which deliver a slight shock on contact to discourage dingoes from crossing.
Even though the grills are low power, there is still a risk that a person could be seriously injured if their skin gets wet after swimming at the beach or if they have an underlying illness.
“Just like cattle learning to stay away from electricity grids, dingoes quickly learn not to cross grids. This does not cause any harm to the animal,” the ministry said.
The gates are covered with a metal mesh that delivers a low-power electric shock intended to deter dingoes from crossing.
“Less than one per cent of areas of K’gari accessible to people, including some campsites, townships and resorts, currently have dingo deterrent fences and grates.
“These are installed for the safety of the dingoes as much as for the safety of people.”
“It seems clear that fencing has been effective in eliminating serious incidents within fenced areas, but the risk of serious incidents occurring within these areas remains as long as the gates remain open.”
Between 2018 and 2023, there have been 33 incidents where a dingo has bitten or bitten a person in K’Gari.
Two tourists are the latest victims of dingo bites on the Queensland island, with six incidents in as many weeks.
In February, an 18-year-old woman was walking to Lake Wabby as part of a tourist group when a marked dingo bit her on the back of her left leg.
She suffered puncture marks around her left knee and was treated by paramedics.
About five hours later, a person on another tour was bitten or chewed by a dingo on the seafront near the village of Dilli.
Queensland Parks and Wildlife Service rangers will increase patrols in areas and attempt to contact tourists.
The incidents are the latest in a series of dingo attacks on the island.
There have been more than 33 dingo attacks on K’gari since 2018
A young boy was bitten at a campsite in the west of the island and taken to Hervey Bay Hospital for treatment on February 3.
A man was bitten in the back of the leg on Jan. 15 while standing next to his car in the Hook Point barge area.
Three days earlier, a primary school-aged girl was taken to hospital with significant leg injuries after being bitten several times while swimming near Hook Point.
A seven-year-old girl was also bitten on January 4 after her mother tried to take a photo of a dingo.
There have been at least nine dingo-related incidents in K’gari since December 10, including six involving children.