Dingo attacks German tourist

• Tweet

BRISBANE, Australia, July 28 (UPI) -- A German visitor to an Australian island may have been sleeping when he was attacked by a dingo Saturday, a parks official said.

The attack occurred on Fraser Island off the Queensland coast about 120 miles north of Brisbane, The Sunday Mail of Brisbane reported. The tourist, 23, was airlifted to Hervey Bay Hospital on the mainland.

The man was bitten on the legs, arms and head.

Ross Belcher of the Department of National Parks said the visitor was staying at the K'Gari Education Center with a group. He apparently wandered off by himself, got lost and may have fallen asleep.

Belcher said rangers on Fraser Island have stepped up patrols, but he said visitors also need to pay attention to safety warnings.

"This incident serves as an ongoing reminder that dingoes are wild animals and need to be treated as such,'' Belcher said.