A video captured by a British tourist on K’gari Island, just days before the tragic demise of backpacker Piper James, has ignited widespread fury. Viewers are criticizing the traveler for seemingly dismissing the island’s well-publicized safety advisories concerning its dingo population.
Millie McCarthy, the tourist from the UK, shared a four-minute TikTok video showcasing her solitary stroll through the island’s brush at dusk, armed only with a ‘Smirnoff can and a Labubu camera purse’.
Her recording, which she uploaded on January 13, was posted less than a week prior to the discovery of Piper James’ body on Seventy-Five Mile Beach on January 19.
The 19-year-old was found around 5am, approximately an hour after friends reported she had gone swimming.
She was discovered by two passers-by, surrounded by dingoes, though initial investigations revealed that the bites occurred posthumously.
In her video, McCarthy is seen walking past a prominent dingo warning sign and deliberating whether to take a safety pole, commonly referred to as a dingo stick, which is provided to individuals venturing beyond fenced-in areas.
She ultimately decides against it.
Millie McCarthy (pictured) filmed a video showing her ignoring K’gari dingo safety rules
‘This is quite scary because I’m about to leave the camp by myself,’ she said on camera.
Moments later, she films herself stepping through a gate marked with a large image of a dingo and the instruction: ‘keep gate closed at all times’.
‘This feels very risky,’ she said. ‘I’ve not actually been outside the camp before. I’m doing it…if a dingo comes up to me…I did not bring a dingo stick as well.’
She even contemplates running, despite repeated warnings from authorities that running can provoke dingoes.
‘This could be risky because I have no idea how long this walk is…wish me luck, and if I see a dingo I have no idea what I’ll do because I’m by myself,’ she said.
‘It says don’t leave the camp by yourself. S***, I’m really scared now.’
The next clip shows her reaching the beach unharmed.
‘I’ve just run a bit. I was actually really s****ing myself but this is worth it, I fear,’ she said.
The body of Piper James (left) was found on January 19, surrounded by dingoes on K’gari
‘Apparently if a dingo sees you running they come after you. But this is worth it. I fear this is worth getting eaten by a dingo.’
The TikTok video has now attracted more than 20,000 likes — and a wave of criticism from viewers alarmed at tourists ignoring long-standing safety rules.
‘A girl was found dead there… because she went for a swim alone. There is a reason for these rules,’ one person said.
‘Watching this after someone has just died there, and found surrounded by dingoes,’ another said.
Replying to comments, Ms McCarthy admitted she saw a dingo during her trip.
‘We did see them when we were driving along the beach but we were in the car so it felt safe,’ she said.
When asked whether she realised she was breaking the rules, she insisted it was unintentional. ‘I didn’t mean to,’ she said.
Users slammed Millie McCarthy for failing to heed the warnings about dingoes on the island
Backlash intensified after Queensland authorities confirmed they had euthanised the pack of dingoes linked to Ms James’ death.
At least six of the ten animals have now been ‘humanely’ put down.
Last week, Wide Bay District Inspector Paul Algie urged visitors to exercise caution and keep their distance from the island’s protected dingoes.
‘K’gari is a wilderness area, dingoes are wild animals, and while they are very culturally and significant to the local First Nations people and to the people that live on the island, they are still wild animals and need to be treated as such,’ he said.
