Hero father fights off dingo who dragged baby son from van in the middle of night
A father is being praised for his courage after he fought off a dingo who dragged his 14-month-old son from a camper van in the middle of the night. Reports state that the family was on a camping trip to Fraser land, Australia when the baby's parents woke up at night to find someone screaming.
The cries reportedly were "becoming more distant" and when they looked around they realized that a breed of wild dog, a dingo, was carrying away their son in its mouth.
The father, who has not been identified, told the Royal Automobile Club of Queensland (RACQ) LifeFlight Rescue that he noticed other dingoes were lurking nearby, with the animal already carrying his son to some distance already.
The father then jumped to action and chased the dingo and managed to grab his son from him before fighting the animal off. He then promptly called emergency services, according to news.com.au reports.
The 14-month-old suffered a fractured skull and puncture wounds on his neck and head. The rescuers reportedly said that the boy was saved only because of the parents' quick realization and the father's prompt response.
Rescue pilot Frank Bertoli said: “If it wasn’t for the parents fighting off the dingo he could have had much more severe injuries. I think he made his way under the canvas to get into the camper trailer. It’s pretty horrific to hear something like that come over the phone and we just wanted to get there to be able to help."
Other similar attacks by dingoes have occurred this year. A six-year-old boy was mauled by one of the canines in January in the same region, and a French tourist and her son were attacked last month.
The Queensland Parks and Wildlife Service has advised the tourists visiting Fraser Island to “stay very close — within arm’s reach — of your children” and to “never leave children in tents, on beaches or walking tracks without adults; not even for a few minutes”.