'Not a normal behavior': Dingo approaches fisherman in unusual encounter

Footage of unusual dingo behavior on a beach from an Australian couple illuminates the growing risk of human-wildlife interactions.

The couple shared the video on their Indefinite Leave (@indefiniteleave) Facebook page. The action took place in K'gari (formerly Fraser Island) in Queensland.

The video at Eli Creek might look innocuous at first. A curious dingo creeps up slowly to a fisherman in knee-deep waters. It takes a long time for the man to notice.

Once he does, he calmly moves away, using the rod as a deterrent to keep the dingo from coming any closer. The interaction ends without any contact, let alone violence.

"Most of you will look at this and say, 'What's the problem? It didn't do anything,'" Indefinite Leave said in the caption.

However, they went on to explain the myriad problems with the situation.

"It's not their normal instinct, not a normal behavior of a wild dingo," they asserted.

Dingoes should be naturally fearful of both humans and the ocean, they argued. The fisherman isn't doing anything to attract the dingo either, yet it is still very curious. By the end, it's more than merely interested, as its tail goes up high, signaling heightened alertness and excitement.

The couple also alluded to a pair of tourists who might have been chased by the same dingo just a day before, as News.com.au pointed out.

Indeed, the area is becoming the site of more dingo-human interactions, including one involving a woman vacationing with her family. 

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In another incident, authorities euthanized multiple dingoes after a teenage Canadian backpacker was found dead surrounded by them, per News.com.au. Her death was more consistent with drowning, but the optics were still troubling.

Experts indicate that humans are likely the cause of dingoes' increased boldness. Tourists feeding them or leaving food and bait unsecured is potentially decreasing their fears and leading to habituation.

While the fisherman emerged unscathed, Indefinite Leave had some ominous thoughts on the whole situation.

"This dingo will be the next problem within [the] Eli Creek region," they wrote. "This dingo is a problem waiting to happen."

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