Drowning after a dingo attack was ruled the cause of death for 19-year-old Piper James, who was living at a campsite on K'gari. Photo / Supplied by family
Drowning after a dingo attack was ruled the cause of death for 19-year-old Piper James, who was living at a campsite on K'gari. Photo / Supplied by family
Drowning after a dingo attack has been ruled the official cause of death of a 19-year-old Canadian backpacker on Australian island K’gari.
Piper James was found surrounded by a pack of 10 dingoes on a beach near a campsite where she was living and working early on January 19, promptingan investigation into the nature of her death.
A spokesperson for the Coroners Court of Queensland said James died “as a result of drowning in the setting of multiple injuries, due to, or as a consequence of a dingo attack”.
“The investigation into Piper’s death is ongoing, and no further information can be provided at this time,” the spokesperson said.
Eight of the 10 dingoes have since been euthanised.
James’ father Todd told The Courier-Mail he had spoken to his daughter the day before her death, and that she was “respectful” of dingoes and the danger they pose.
“She loved being where she was, but maybe she let her guard down. Bad things can happen,” he said.
Piper James’ parents have asked the Queensland coroner to review policies governing the sharing of information by rangers about the risk of dingo attacks. Photo / YouTube
“She loves animals, we got all the pictures of the kangaroos, but she was respectful of the dingoes. Since she was 6 she always wanted to travel to Australia. I just always remember her and her girlfriend planning a trip.”
James’ close friend Taylor Stricker, who had been travelling with her at the time, remembered her travel companion as a person who “showed up without question” through life’s moments.
“Piper had the gentlest soul wrapped in the toughest shell, and loving her felt inevitable,” Stricker wrote on social media.
“She opened my eyes to the beauty of this world and taught me how to lean into life instead of standing on the edges of it.
“My friend, I will hold you with me in every sunset, every visit to the ocean, every fearless choice I make. You’ll always be my one and only Piper.”
Fraser Coast councillor John Weiland, who is the local representative for K’gari, a location he has been frequenting for the past 35 years, has witnessed dingo behaviour change “quite dramatically”.
“I’ve driven right up to one in the car and it’s come up, jumped up on to my door to have a smell in the window and then wandered off. They’re not bothered at all. And when they aren’t bothered by people and they’re hungry, that’s where we’re getting dangerous situations.”
Weiland said “meaningful increased protections for both dingoes and people” was an ongoing issue on the island, and euthanising the animals after an incident was “very divisive”.
“When it comes to people’s safety, you can’t leave any door closed. You can’t take any chances. Zero injuries is the only acceptable total,” he said.
The last recorded fatal dingo attack on K’gari took place in 2001, when 9-year-old Clinton Gage was killed by a pair of dingoes after being separated from his mother near Waddy Point.
James’ parents have asked the Queensland coroner to review the policies governing the sharing of information by rangers about the risk of dingo attacks, the ABC reports.
The state’s Department of Environment, Tourism, Science, and Innovation (DETSI) warns “knowing how to be dingo-safe on K’gari is important for your safety”.
“Dingoes are pack hunters. They are apex predators in the island’s ecosystem and need to be treated with respect and safety in mind,” the department’s website reads.
“They should never be confused with domestic pets and do not obey commands from people.”
The department also recommends keeping a distance, carrying a “safety stick” when walking out in the open, and staying in groups as much as possible.
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