A A group of dingoes were found circling the body A young Canadian woman is expected to be killed after her death on a beach in Australia, government officials announced Saturday.
Piper James’ family said the 19-year-old from Campbell River, B.C., ventured to a beach on K’gari, an island off Australia’s east coast, for an early morning swim on Monday.
Police in Queensland state said her body was found not long after, surrounded by a pack of about 10 dingoes, a type of wild dog, and “attacked.”
In an online statement on Saturday, a spokesman for the government’s Department of Environment and Tourism said it was aware of initial autopsy results indicating that dingo bites were unlikely to be the immediate cause of James’s death.
The statement said rangers monitoring the wild dogs this week noticed “aggressive” behavior.
“Based on initial autopsy results, this pack’s involvement in the incident, and observations since then, this pack has been determined to pose an unacceptable risk to public safety,” the statement said.
“Dingoes involved in Monday’s incident will be humanely euthanized.”
Minister Andrew Powell said in the same statement that while euthanizing the animals was a difficult decision, it was the “right decision.”
Get breaking national news
If you want to receive news that affects Canada and around the world, you can sign up for breaking news alerts delivered to you as soon as they happen.
“This tragedy has deeply affected Queenslanders and touched the hearts of people around the world,” he said.
A short social media post from Todd James, Piper’s father, said the announcement was “just sad, heartbreaking information.” He notes that a final autopsy report has not yet been released.
He has previously said there will be a “smoking ceremony” for his daughter in Australia and the family hopes to attend. They are also expected to bring their remains home next week.
A GoFundMe campaign for that purpose had raised just over $20,000 as of late Saturday.
James had been traveling around Australia since October with a friend, also from Campbell River, and had found a job on K’gari, a World Heritage site that is a popular destination for backpackers and other tourists.
K’gari, the world’s largest sand island, is known for its dingo population. The Queensland government is actively warning visitors to be “dingo-safe”.
Two beach campgrounds were closed until late February and ranger patrols have increased since James’ death.
There have been a number of dingo attacks on K’gari, also known as Fraser Island. In addition to the incident in 2023, this also includes the fatal abuse of a nine-year-old in 2001.
Australia’s most notorious dingo attack – the death of two-month-old Azaria Chamberlain in central Australia in 1980 – inspired the 1988 film “A Cry in the Dark,” in which Meryl Streep plays the infant’s mother, wrongly convicted of murder.
Friends and family said James was a “brave little girl” with an infectious laugh who dreamed of becoming a pilot. Her mother, Angela James, said her daughter was adventurous and loved motocross, camping and swimming.
A preliminary assessment of James’ body released earlier this week suggests that, in addition to evidence suggesting drowning, there were also bites “prior to death.”
The Queensland Coroner’s Court said the coroner was awaiting pathology results to further assist in determining the cause of death.
The process is expected to take several weeks.
&Copy 2026 The Canadian Press
