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Girl, 6, hospitalized after being mauled by dingo while swimming in the ocean

The young girl was bitten on the head and received minor scrapes on her hands and puncture wounds near her ear

FRASER ISLAND, AUSTRALIA: A young girl was attacked by a wild dog on Monday, April 3, 2023, when she was swimming in the ocean. The horrifying incident took place on Fraser Island, which is off the east coast of Australia, and the 6-year-old girl was transported to the hospital almost immediately.

The animal attacked the girl when she was swimming in shallow water at Waddy Point Beach on the island's eastern coast. She was bitten on the head and received minor scrapes on her hands and puncture wounds near her ear. Shortly after, at around 5 pm, a rescue helicopter with paramedics arrived on the scene. She underwent treatment and was flown to Hervey Bay Hospital in central Queensland, where she currently remains in stable condition.

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'Parental fail as usual'

The wild dog was reportedly a male dingo who was untagged. A spokesperson for the Bundaberg RACQ LifeFlight Rescue Team said, "The animal reportedly held her underwater for a few seconds before nearby family members were able to get the dingo off her. She sustained multiple minor bites to her head and fingers," according to the Sun.

Many have reacted to the incident on Twitter on the horrific incident, with one person writing, "Children are required to be no more than an arm length from parents while visiting the island. What were the parents doing to supervise their children? It is clearly written on every sign and fenced off camping areas too. No different to letting kids play in croc infested rivers."

One other person, "Superficial injuries...hope the parents have to pay for the chopper ride..." Another person wrote, "& WHY was the kid SO close for that to happen ?? Parental fail as usual... Be different if indemnity forms were signed upon disembarking that said the holidaymakers accepted FULL responsibility AND a fine I'll stand there & hand out the forms..."

A fourth person wrote, "I'd be happy if the voice got Fraser closed... that's THE only good thing it could bring about... then they'd be left in peace..."

Another Dingo attack 

In a similar incident, a dingo bit a five-year-old boy on December 18, 2022, on K'gari, formerly Fraser Island, biting him on his head, arms, and legs until his father stepped in to save him. A rescue helicopter that landed on Orchid Beach after the child had multiple bite wounds flew him to Hervey Bay Hospital in a critical but stable condition.

The boy was reportedly playing on a beach when a dingo jumped on him and attacked, causing several bite wounds on various parts of his body. The boy's father stopped the dingo attack and saved him.

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