My heart is heavy tonight.
In the days following this tragedy, reports confirm that a pack of wongari, the K’gari dingoes, were targeted and shot. Media reporting varies, with between six and ten dingoes confirmed dead. Whatever the final number, the truth remains the same. A family was torn apart. Wongari do not live alone. They live in kinship. They are parents, siblings, elders, teachers. To remove multiple members of a pack is not a single act. It is a rupture that carries consequences far beyond what we see. Butchulla people, the Traditional Owners of K’gari, have long spoken about Country as a living system. Not something owned, controlled, or corrected, but something cared for through relationship, knowledge, and responsibility passed down over generations. Many Butchulla voices have reminded us that when balance is disturbed, it is rarely restored through force. That coexistence requires education, respect for boundaries, and an understanding that humans are visitors in a place that has its own laws.
This tragedy began with the loss of a young human life. That grief matters deeply and always will. Early findings indicate drowning as the cause of death, with dingo interactions occurring around that moment. Facts matter. Truth matters. Compassion for all life matters. What is hardest to bear is knowing that fear was allowed to speak louder than listening. K’gari is not just a destination. It is Country. And wongari are not problems to be removed when things go wrong. They are an ancient presence, woven into the cultural, ecological, and spiritual fabric of this place. When responses exclude Traditional knowledge, when decisions are rushed instead of grounded, we repeat the same harm again and again. Tonight, the island is quieter. Not safer. Just emptier. May this moment be one of reflection rather than reaction. May we listen more closely to those who have cared for this land the longest. May future decisions be led by wisdom, not fear. Justice for the wongari. Protection for K’gari. Respect for Country. https://noosatoday.com.au/news/01-02-2026/dingo-cull-a-step-towards-extinction/
https://noosatoday.com.au/news/01-02-2026/dingo-kill-knee-jerk-claim/
https://youtu.be/nnXqAtKY30c?si=JEQfmaMDLG59MCiY