The Hon. David Crisafulli MP and Andrew Powell MP

Dear Premier Crisafulli and Environment Minister Powell, 

Re: Immediate Opposition to the Proposed Euthanising of Dingoes on K’gari

The cull is considered unnecessary  and barbaric.  Killing dingoes could even lead to extinction.

Now 8 are killed!  Eight dingoes are confirmed killed, and they are trying to kill two more! And they were killed without confirmation of cause of Piper James’s death!  https://www.kingaroy.org/kgari-dingo-executions-butchulla-consultation-failure/?fbclid=IwdGRjcAPnRJ5leHRuA2FlbQIxMQBzcnRjBmFwcF9pZA8xNzM4NDc2NDI2NzAzNzAAAR7NtzRiCkKNR8GXiyQh6Af9G0GWQEQ_QHJJsTjMFnyFbkEPp2UAfwCGCbXVhQ_aem_ZqTq8Ge-E_CXRD389brG4g

Despite opposition from virtually everyone, you killed 6 wongari on Saturday, then two more!  All done over a long weekend so that the Indigenous people could not say anything!  You went behind everyone’s back! https://youtu.be/5FkH_R4rv58?si=9Hb9GJYaKvpINK7t

The dingoes were allegedly slaughtered, not euthanized. The most likely senario is that they were leg hold  trapped, a noose pole around their neck to hold them down to duct tape their mouths, then sedated and lethally injected.  Please issue complaints to the RSPCA!

Humane World for Animals said no cull.  The world is watching. https://www.abc.net.au/listen/programs/pm/k-gari-dingo-cull-condemned/106275928

Scientists are appalled by the killing too. The minyan of wongari murdered by the state will put a dent into the entire population. https://www.scimex.org/newsfeed/expert-reaction-dingo-cull-in-kgari-following-death-of-backpacker

Please stop before killing the last two wongari. Close the beach instead and consider a sanctuary instead of killing as a last resort. And please close the entire island until at least the full autopsy results come back.  

I am writing to express my deep concern and strong opposition to the killing of up to ten dingoes on K’gari following the recent tragic incident. This situation is heartbreaking for all involved—for the young life lost, for the family grieving, and now for the dingoes that once again stand to pay the ultimate price for systemic human failure.  Experts are opposed too.  https://www.kyliecairns.com/

It is believed the Wongari 8, the dingoes killed in retaliation after Piper James' death by drowning, were puppies, which probably explains why any premortem bites were so minor. 

It is essential to be clear: dingoes did not cause this tragedy—poor management did.

https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2026/jan/27/killing-of-kgari-dingoes-in-wake-of-backpackers-death-could-create-extinction-vortex-expert-says?CMP=share_btn_url

For years, Queensland Parks and Wildlife Service (QPWS) has repeatedly fallen short of the responsibilities required to protect both visitors and wildlife. Ongoing issues include:

prioritizing tourism revenue over wildlife welfare;
allowing overcrowding and unchecked visitor numbers;
failing to meaningfully enforce food security, education, and compliance;
normalising human–wildlife conflict and responding with reactive, lethal measures.
Culling dingoes after the fact does not equate to conservation. It is damage control to protect a tourism brand, not an evidence-based wildlife management strategy.

K’gari is not a theme park. It is a globally significant, World Heritage–listed ecosystem and home to one of Australia’s most important remaining dingo populations. Continuing to funnel thousands of inadequately informed tourists into a sensitive habitat—while disregarding long-standing warnings from ecologists, local communities, and wildlife advocates—makes tragedies not only predictable but inevitable.

If public safety is genuinely the priority, then action must focus on the true causes, not the scapegoats.  Dingoes are not the true cause.  

What must change immediately:

A strict and enforceable tourist cap on K’gari
Mandatory education for all visitors before entering the island.
Real, consistent enforcement of food storage and interaction regulations.
Independent oversight of dingo management.
An end to lethal responses as the default strategy.
Wildlife should not be managed according to fear, headlines, or profit margins. If QPWS continues to measure success by visitor numbers instead of ecological health, both people and dingoes will remain at risk.  This is not coexistence. This is mismanagement.

K’gari deserves better. Dingoes deserve better. And the people who visit this remarkable place—believing it is responsibly protected—deserve better.

I urge your government to halt the proposed euthanising of these dingoes and commit to meaningful, science-driven reform of how K’gari is managed.

Education. Protection. Accountability. Tourist limits Now!

Piper James, a young and vibrant Canadian woman, tragically lost her life during what should have been an unforgettable backpacking journey through Australia.  Piper James would have never wanted a cull.

The circumstances of her death were caused by drowning, not dingoes.  The government of Queensland is murdering all the Wongari (dingoes) in the vicinity of her death over the Australia Day Long Weekend, likely to avoid a legal injunction and lawsuit from the Butchalla First Nation, the rightful guardians of K'Gari, who consider the Wongari family and are opposed to the killing.  The Butchalla First Nation was never informed about the cull until after 6 Wongari were killed on Saturday.  Two more were killed with two more on death row.  The Butchalla do not sanction the killing and the government allegedly went behind their back.  https://www.news.com.au/travel/travel-updates/incidents/traditional-owners-speak-out-amid-dingo-cull-call-on-kgari/news-story/2bcbbbb7455fdbcb3cc6a45585fe9fe7

This is eeringly similar to the 1950s Dog Slaughter in Canada, when the Qimmiq (Inuit dog closely related to Wongari) were shot by the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, almost hunted to extinction.  Other Indigenous Canadian dogs like the Wooly Dog have been shot to extinction.  In these cases false claims were made regarding public health and safety, when the real purpose was to control Indigenous people.

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2026-01-23/canadian-teen-piper-james-likely-died-from-drowning-on-kgari/106256020

Please email the minister who ordered the execution of the Wongari!  https://cabinet.qld.gov.au/ministers-portfolios/andrew-powell.aspx

Doctor Bradley Smith, a dingo researcher, is 100% opposed to the cull.  He has lots of ideas for a humane, 100% non lethal coexistence strategy.  

The Queensland government KILLED, not euthanized, 8 innocent Wongari, CULLED, not Euthanized.  And they are killing more! Because Piper James DROWNED!  They had absolutely NO PROOF the dingoes were involved, but KILLED THEM ANYWAY!  Killed and will be later proven innocent.  The Butchalla Nation is infuriated.  They were not consulted, probably because they knew they would say NO.  They are planning a lawsuit.  This is absolutely an act of colonial violence.  https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-15496287/Kgari-Fraser-dingo-attack-cull.html

https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1AhXtrFbB6/

Here is a beautiful open letter.  https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=pfbid02dqxsN314RszoRwDZeZ7TBbq7FbG6JZRUChoXCfrSVmZ7zcrGpGDf4rWsh3QzzMRzl&id=100017459862124

Russell Postle of Galangoor K’Gari Retreat is supporting the cull.  That suggests a conflictof interest.  https://www.abc.net.au/news/2026-01-26/traditional-owners-heartbroken-at-decision-to-cull-kgari-dingoes/106269824

I am furious, as a Canadian citizen, that they killed several Wongari, and are killing more, in honour of a Canadian citizen who loved animals? This will not keep anyone safe.

https://www.911hotfm.com.au/local-news/dingo-cull-despite-coroners-findings-they-likely-didnt-kill-canadian-woman-on-kgari/

They just destabilized the family dynamics, causing more animals to pair up and create even more packs.  Usually, only the dominant pair breeds, but they killed them off.  They ignored the Indigenous peoples, and ignored the wishes of the James family. And they did this to increase tourism? Tourism will go down because of the Wongari slaughter. Putting a cap on tourism would have avoided this potential boycott of a country that routinely kills animals. People come to K’Gari to celebrate the Wongari. But they won’t now knowing that they are killing animals.  

Here is a rambling statement from the Environment Minister that essentially says they are killing Wongari with no definite proof of cause of death.  https://statements.qld.gov.au/statements/104382

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2026-01-25/dingoes-involved-in-k-gari-backpacker-death-euthanised/106267322
 
https://www.9news.com.au/national/kgari-pack-of-dingoes-to-be-euthanised-after-being-deemed-an-unacceptable-risk-following-death-of-piper-jameses/e0ae60e9-dc64-42f8-9a9e-9a0b07169707

 
https://www.sunshinecoastnews.com.au/2026/01/25/wild-dingoes-to-be-euthanised-after-teens-death/
 
Please halt this killing IMMEDIATELY and APOLOGIZE to the Butchalla and to the James family for this appalling approach to the tragic death of a Canadian teenager. Todd James, her father, heard the news from police late Saturday night.  https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=pfbid02FYhSC3Rvg8ANCwnEZjpQv3Sz71jn84U178FBwaCQ18LEDM2g1Lqfz63f41PwHzb4l&id=649650424

While investigations tried to determine the exact cause of this heartbreaking incident, attention had turned towards the interaction between humans and dingoes in the region. These beautiful wild dogs were standing nearby Piper, simply because they live on K'Gari! They didn't cause her death. 

The Indigenous people, who have always peacefully coexisted with the Wongari (dingoes), want a cap on the number of tourists and a ban on visitors during puppy season.

Piper James loved all animals and did not want the Wongari killed.  https://www.abc.net.au/news/2026-01-23/canadian-teen-piper-james-likely-died-from-drowning-on-kgari/106256020

The tragic loss of Piper James highlights the urgent need for a compassionate and informed response for living with dingo populations in tourist areas.  Wongari are sacred animals, and it is believed their spirits will be upset and confused if killed, unless a smoke ceremony funeral is done.

Killing dingoes is a Western concept, ignoring the sacredness to the Indigenous people who share K’Gari with the Dingoes.

It's critical for anyone in Queensland to share feedback on the mismanagement of tourism on K'gari to protect K'gari's Dingoes.

I am writing to express my deep sorrow at the death of Piper James and to again raise serious concerns about the ongoing and demonstrably failed management of tourism on K’gari.

K’gari is the home of the K’gari dingo or Wongari, a unique and culturally significant animal that should be protected, not placed in conflict with humans. The current tourism model is driving unnatural interactions between visitors and dingoes, and this is directly contributing to injury and death of both people and dingoes. Whether or not dingoes were involved in this particular tragedy, it is clear that the broader pattern of risk created by unmanaged and inappropriate human behaviour continues to place lives at risk.

When in Canada, back in November, a mother Nan (Brown Bear) injured a class of elementary school children on a field trip in Piper's home province of British Columbia, the rangers chose to live trap, DNA test, and relocate bears.  No bears were killed, because the government recognized the Nan to be sacred to the Nuxalk First Nation in Bella Coola.  

We need a comprehensive, evidence-based solution that addresses the root causes of these dangerous interactions, not just reactive measures after fatalities occur. This should include, at a minimum:

1. Zero-tolerance enforcement for feeding and harassment of dingoes
Substantially higher on-the-spot fines, consistent enforcement, and real consequences for repeat offenders. Feeding wildlife should be treated as a serious safety and conservation offence, not a minor infringement.

2. Greatly increased ranger presence and authority
A visible, well-resourced ranger workforce with the power to issue fines, remove problem human visitors from the island, and shut down unsafe behaviour immediately.

3. Mandatory education for all visitors before arrival
A compulsory online or ferry-terminal briefing explaining dingo behaviour, risks, legal obligations, and penalties. Entry permits should only be issued after completion of this briefing.

4. Stricter controls on food storage and waste management
Dingo-proof food lockers at all camps and high-use areas, better waste infrastructure, and regular audits of compliance. Food access is the primary driver of dangerous habituation.

5. Limits on visitor numbers in high-risk areas
Caps on daily visitor numbers in sensitive or heavily used zones to reduce pressure on wildlife and ranger capacity.

6. Clear, transparent reporting of incidents and enforcement actions
Public reporting of dingo incidents, fines issued, and management actions taken, so the community can see whether policy changes are actually working.

7. A shift away from blaming dingoes for human failure
Dingoes should not be punished or destroyed because people break the rules. Management must focus on changing human behaviour first and foremost.

Without decisive reform, these tragedies will continue, and more dingoes will be destroyed for behaviour that humans have trained into them. This is not only a conservation failure, but a moral one.

I urge the department to treat this as a genuine crisis in tourism management and wildlife protection, and to commit to structural changes rather than incremental or symbolic fixes.

https://www.detsi.qld.gov.au/contactus/feedback-forms/feedback-form-enquiry?fbclid=IwY2xjawPiPcpleHRuA2FlbQIxMABicmlkETFzS0ttSmZLQ2hHUnlzVFdyc3J0YwZhcHBfaWQQMjIyMDM5MTc4ODIwMDg5MgABHp9Wxy_XZM1f-VTc_EKqVKQnDMwSXEhrmyw9X9TlkrHi0Fh1rcOgvSfnH9TP_aem_Gn_8LWewwy-gw9Yg9SktSw

Instead of responding with cruelty or culls, we propose education, a cap or ban on tourism, and humane hazing techniques to prevent further incidents. Education campaigns can enlighten tourists and locals about the importance of not feeding dingoes, thus discouraging these intelligent animals from associating people with food.

It is odd that hazing is not used on K'Gari, considering it is used very successfully with coyotes, a closely related species in North America.  www.coyotewatchcanada.com

A cap on the number of tourists should be placed on K'Gari.  This is the home of the dingo.  Non native Humans are simply visiting.

Proactive non-lethal methods, including tourism bans and hazing techniques, can be implemented to train dingoes to keep their distance from human habitats without harming them. It is vital to address these interactions with compassion and understanding, respecting both human safety and wildlife welfare.

By signing this petition, you stand for a solution that balances the preservation of nature with the safety of all who visit Australia's beautiful landscapes. Let us honour Piper James' memory by advocating for humane and effective wildlife Coexistence strategies.

Please sign the petition to urge Australian authorities to take an educated and humane approach to living with dingo populations, ensuring a safe and natural experience for locals and visitors alike.