A tragic incident unfolded on K’gari Island, Queensland, as a young Canadian backpacker was discovered dead, potentially while she was attempting to find mobile reception to contact her family.
Nineteen-year-old Piper James was found early Monday morning on Seventy Five Mile Beach, encircled by a group of ten dingoes. The island is situated off the southeastern coast of Queensland.
According to a Coroner’s report, Piper had been bitten by the dingoes, and it is suspected that she subsequently drowned. Additional testing is underway to establish the definitive cause of death.
Kev and Adele, a couple from Brisbane who manage the travel blog Indefinite Leave and have resided on K’gari for four years, reported that they had communicated with Piper’s father, Todd James. They believe that Piper was trying to reach her parents by phone on the fateful morning.
In response to the incident, the Queensland Department of Environment, Tourism, Science and Innovation announced plans to ‘humanely euthanize’ the dingoes involved.
“Rangers have been closely monitoring the pack of dingoes associated with this week’s incident and have noted some aggressive behavior,” a spokesperson stated.
‘Following the initial autopsy findings, this pack’s involvement in the incident, and observations since, the pack has been deemed an unacceptable public safety risk.’
Queensland Environment and Tourism Minister Andrew Powell backed the move.
It is believed Piper James (pictured) went to the beach early to make a phone call home
‘This is a tough decision but I believe it’s the right call in the public interest,’ he said.
Kev and Adele said they offered their condoles to Piper’s father. During their conversation, Todd described Piper as ‘adventurous’ and said she ‘absolutely loved the island and the people’.
According to the couple, Piper called her family at the same time every day. They believe she walked to the beach around 5am to get mobile reception, a common practice on K’gari, where phone coverage is patchy away from the shoreline.
This theory matches earlier reports that Piper had told friends she planned to go for an early swim.
She reportedly left her accommodation at about 5am and was found unresponsive on the sand roughly 90 minutes later, near the Maheno shipwreck.
The Coroners Court of Queensland found ‘physical evidence consistent with drowning’ as the likely cause of death.
Dingo bites occurred before and after she died but were not fatal. Investigators also documented extensive post-mortem bite marks and found no evidence any other person was involved.
Further tests are being carried out to determine exactly how water entered Piper’s lungs, with final results expected in several weeks.
Piper James (left) was found by the coroner to have likely died from drowning
Piper (left) was visiting Australia from Canada alongside her best friend Taylor (right)
Piper, originally from Campbell River, British Columbia, had been travelling around Australia with her best friend, Taylor, for six weeks.
The pair visited Sydney, Cairns and the Whitsundays before arriving on K’gari.
Taylor’s mother, Marjorie Stricker, said the loss had devastated both families.
‘When the girls first left for Australia, we told them to always call, that there were no problems we couldn’t face together, and that safety was the most important thing,’ she said.
‘This isn’t how this was meant to play out. What has happened cannot be undone. It cannot be fixed.’
Ms Stricker said it was now time to honour Piper, who had become close to Taylor when they were young and shared a dream of visiting Australia.
On Thursday, Piper’s family launched a GoFundMe to raise money to bring her home. By Sunday afternoon, the fundraiser had reached almost $19,000.
Rangers have stepped up patrols on K’gari after the tragedy. Authorities had warned of ‘heightened dingo activity’ in the area weeks earlier, following reports of dingoes ripping tents, approaching campers, and stealing food and belongings.
A warning for ‘heightened dingo activity’ in the area will remain in place till January 31
The dingos involved in the attack will be ‘humanely euthanised’ by authorities (file image)
The warning remains in place until 31 January. Queensland Premier David Crisafulli has ruled out limiting tourism to the island.
However, the Butchulla Aboriginal Corporation and several environmental groups continue to call for visitor caps, citing safety concerns and further damage to the fragile environment.
Dingoes, known as Wongari to the Butchulla people, hold strong cultural significance.
