School holiday tourists are urged to keep away from dingoes on Queensland's Fraser Island following the passing of heavy new penalties for those who feed or disturb the animals.
The warnings come after one of the wild dogs fractured a toddler's skull after he was dragged from a camp bed in April.
It prompted the state government to double maximum fines for feeding or disturbing the animals to $10,444. The minimum penalty is $2135 per offence.
Campers have been urged to keep sites clean, lock up food, camp in fenced areas and avoid running because it can "trigger a negative dingo interaction" on the island some 250 kilometres north of Brisbane.
The government says it is working to keep the World Heritage listed island safe for visitors while managing healthy dingo populations.
Queensland Environment Minister Leeanne Enoch says camp sites on the island are almost at capacity ahead of the school holidays.
"People need to understand that these beautiful dingoes are wild animals, they are not starving," Ms Enoch said in a statement using the island's alternative name K'gari.
"A habituated dingo becomes a risk to visitors and to themselves.
She said rangers and rangers would be enforcing the rules around the dingoes.
Australian Associated Press
