Dog mauls swimming girl, pulling her underwater in terrifying attack

A six-year-old girl was bitten multiple times by a dog while she was swimming in the ocean. The child was mauled by a dingo, an ancient lineage of dog found in Australia, which also reportedly held her underwater until her relatives could get the animal off her.

The incident occurred in shallow water at Waddy Point Beach, on Fraser Island, also known as K-gari – a World Heritage-listed island in Australia’s Queensland region.

The girl was bitten on the back of her head, suffered puncture wounds around one of her ears and was also hurt on her hands.

A rescue helicopter was sent to the island to support the victim of the attack, which took place just after 4pm on Tuesday.

The young child was treated by paramedics at the scene before being flown, in stable conditions, to Hervey Bay Hospital in central Queensland.

A spokesman from 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.”

K’gari is known for its dingoes which, while they are normally capable of coexisting with humans, have carried out a few attacks over the past two decades.

On December 18, a five-year-old child was “jumped on” by a dingo at a campground in Ocean Lake.

The boy’s father managed to pull the dog off his son, who was flown from the island to Hervey Bay Airport by LifeFlight helicopter before being driven to hospital.

The worst dingo attack on the island took place in April 2001, when nine-year-old Clinton Gage was killed by two dingoes near Waddy Point.

The tragedy brought local authorities to cull some 31 dingoes on the island.

Between 25 to 30 packs of dingoes are believed to still be living on the island.

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In late 2022, the Queensland government finished the construction of a seven-kilometre-long fence which, by wrapping around the Orchid Beach township, aims at protecting its residents and tourists from dingos.

Caylah Chiplin, who has often spent the Christmas holidays visiting Orchid Beach, told ABC.net.au last year: “I’ve got two kids, the youngest is three, the other one is four turning five … it just sort of gives a bit more peace of mind for people who do have young children.

“It’s going to be nice to not have to fret too much if they go for a walk onto the front patio.”

Recalling her own encounters with dingoes when she was a child, she added: “Usually, they sneak up on you and you don’t know they’re there until they are right on top of you.”

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