Dingoes kill boy on holiday isle

A nine-year-old boy was savaged and killed yesterday by dingoes and his younger brother mauled after they were chased by the animals on Fraser Island, one of Australia most popular tourist destinations.

Police marksmen with Aborigine trackers later killed two wild dogs on the world’s largest sand island, scene of a spate of attacks on humans, mainly children.

Forensic attacks were being carried out on the dead dingoes to ensure they were the ones who attacked the boys.

‘‘They were destroyed in the vicinity of where the attack took place this morning and we believe they were the most likely animals responsible for this attack,’’ said police Inspector Pat Ryan.

The dead boy and a friend went for a walk near their camping site when two dingoes emerged from bushes and followed them, said police, who gave the following account.

The boys tried to run, but one tripped and was caught and mauled to death by the dingoes.

The other boy escaped uninjured and raised the alarm.

The father of the missing boy ran to the scene accompanied by his six-year-old son, but found the boy dead, police said.

The six-year-old tried to flee and was attacked and mauled by the dingoes, who were lurking in nearby bushes, they said.

The six-year-old was flown to a hospital in a helicopter, where he was treated for multiple bites to the arms and legs, police said.

‘‘The family is in a state of shock,’’ said police Inspector Pat Ryan.

The island, a world heritage site, has been the scene of several dingo attacks in recent years.

A German tourist was bitten by dingoes on the island in February, 1999 and a three-year-old Norwegian girl was attacked in 1998.

Rangers on the island kill dingoes that appear aggressive to humans and about 40 of the animals have been destroyed during the past 10 years, officials said.

Residents said the dingoes are starving, but others said the problem was created by tourists getting too close to the animals. Hotel owner Norma Hannant said tourists try to pose for photographs with the dingoes.

‘‘The dingoes are bold, they get within six feet of you and they can sense the fright in a person and that is the very person they will attack,’’ she said.

Police said they did not have the power to order tourists off the island, but urged people to leave or cancel visits.