4-Year-Old Bitten On Thigh By Dingo While Holidaying With Parents

A 4-year-old boy was attacked by a dingo while he was holidaying on Fraser Island in Australia with his parents. This was the second such incident at Orchid Beach in two weeks.

The boy was bitten on the thigh near a home Saturday, a Department of Environment and Science (DES) spokesman confirmed to media outlet The Australian. Authorities said another boy, aged 5, was also present at the scene. The dingo approached the two children and sniffed the 5-year-old. Both the kids ran to the house, but the dingo caught up with the 4-year-old boy and bit him.

According to local media reports, the victim suffered two small red marks and a slight graze to his thigh. The child's injuries were not severe, and he did not require medical attention. The child's parents saw the dingo and chased the animal into the bush.

Rangers from Queensland Parks and Wildlife were trying to locate the dingo involved in the attack, the DES spokesman said.

“Residents and visitors to the island, particularly the Orchid Beach area, are advised a dingo pack is approaching people for food,” the spokesman said, Brisbane Times reported. “It’s believed the dingo pack has been inadvertently or deliberately fed by residents and visitors and has lost its natural wariness of people... People are reminded to be dingo safe and not to feed or interact with dingoes, as this can contribute to their habituation and cause them to become aggressive while seeking food.”

The latest incident comes just weeks after a toddler was mauled by a dingo in the same area. The 2-year-old boy suffered significant injuries to his legs, arms, neck, shoulder and head after the animal attacked him on April 17. The child was alone at the time when the dingo attacked him.

In February, a 9-year-old boy was attacked by a dingo at Fraser Island. The child was with his father, walking past a group of dingoes relaxing on the sand, when the attack occurred. "One of the pups started walking towards the child. As the child turned around, he stumbled in the sand and fell over. The animals then advanced on the child. It was then scared away from the child's father," the paramedic said at the time. The child suffered minor injuries in the attack.