A mother has shared video of her young family being stalked by dingoes working as a ‘team’ on the same island where a 19-year-old tourist was later found dead, surrounded by a pack of wild dogs.

Katie Sanders and her husband Pete were fishing on Seventy-Five Mile Beach on Queensland‘s K’gari (former Fraser Island) in November when a pair of dingoes began to pursue them along the shoreline.

The dingoes began circling – with one blocking the young mum from moving forward while the other crept up behind her three children.

‘Not going to lie, this was terrifying,’ Ms Sanders said.

‘Two dingoes working as a team, casually trying to separate me from my kids while we were fishing on the beach.’

Ms Sanders captured part of the encounter on camera, with the animals seen clearly acting in concert and appearing bold and deliberate.

‘My dingo stick felt pretty useless,’ she said. ‘I was trying to stop them from getting my kids.

‘We had lots of dingoes around us on this trip and most just run past and mind their business, but these ones definitely weren’t.’

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Katie Sanders and her children were stalked by dingoes on K’gari island

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Ms Sanders’ husband Pete kept guard while she took their children to safety

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Ms Sanders was armed with a dingo stick for her protection, but claims it wasn’t enough to feel safe

Ms Sanders said the family were able to get to safety.

‘I was able to slowly walk the kids backwards into the truck while Pete stood guard,’ she said.

‘But this happened after a six-year-old boy was mauled on the other side of the island, so we were already quite freaked out.’

The family – who have been sharing their lap around Australia under @thesandersmeanders on Instagram – said they had been camping in dingo-fenced areas and had otherwise felt safe on the island.

They later reported the incident to Queensland Parks and Wildlife Service rangers and were told the animals were displaying what is known as ‘dominance testing’.

The frightening encounter came as authorities continue to investigate the death of Canadian woman Piper James, whose body was found with significant injuries and surrounded by a dozen dingoes.

The 19-year-old had gone for an early morning swim near the Maheno Shipwreck on K’gari at about 5am on Monday.

Her body was discovered around an hour later by passing motorists.

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Suspected dingo victim Piper James (left) had been on a trip-of-a-lifetime holiday with her best friend Taylor. The pair are pictured in Sydney recently

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Authorities continue to investigate the death of Ms James. Her body was found on the beach with ‘defensive wounds’

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Campsites in the area warn against swimming at the beach

It is understood she told friends she was heading out for a swim but never returned.

The woman had been living and working at a resort on the island with a Canadian friend after arriving six weeks earlier.

Detectives spent the day examining the scene and installing new dingo warning signs as they work to determine whether the teenager drowned or was attacked by the animals.

Her body has since been taken to Brisbane for a post-mortem.

‘We’re investigating at the moment as to whether she has drowned or whether she has been attacked,’ Police Inspector Paul Algie said.

‘We simply don’t know.’

A local man who grew up on the island believes the animals may have formed a temporary larger pack, something he says can make them especially dangerous.

‘I’ve watched them since I was a little kid,’ he said.

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Detectives have installed new dingo warning signs

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Dingos can use the water to their advantage while hunting. Above, a grab from Ms Sanders’ video

‘I’ve seen them change over the years with more tourism.’

He said while dingoes usually live and hunt in family units, they are capable of forming alliances.

‘As far as I’m aware, two families of dingoes have got together, which does happen on occasions,’ he said.

‘They team up and become a gang. They get around, they hunt together and it’s quite a formidable force.’

The man said he has personally faced large groups of dingoes before who have been known to use water to their advantage which may have been a factor in the tragic death of the young woman.

‘I’ve been faced with eight or nine dingoes myself. It is very intimidating,’ he said.

‘One of their hunting techniques with wallabies is to herd them into the water. I’ve seen it many times.

‘The wallaby will come down to the ocean and take a swim and cool down and they keep them in the water until they run out of park and they’re exhausted.

‘So if they’ve seen her coming out of the water, potentially, then they’ve come down. Maybe that’s the case, we don’t know. There was no witnesses and there’s still no real definitive evidence of what was the cause of death.’

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Dingos usually live or hunt in family units

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Locals are adamant wildlife shouldn’t be blamed for any attacks

Despite the horror of the incident, he was adamant the animals should not be blamed.

‘I want to make it really clear, it’s not the dingoes’ fault,’ he said.

‘They are doing what dingoes do. They don’t intentionally hunt people.’

He said the animals are primarily driven by their instinct to control territory.

‘For too long people have believed it’s a food issue. There is some truth to that, but it’s more about them flexing their muscles and showing dominance in their space,’ he said.

‘No matter what animal is in that space, they will try to control it.’

The local man said he fears what could happen next if public opinion turns against the animals.

‘I’m really concerned about what is going to happen to the dingoes because of this,’ he said.

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An alert has been in place since December warning of heightened activity

‘If this is confirmed, it would be the first time in my knowledge that an adult human has been killed by dingoes.

‘That’s very worrying.’

In December, Queensland Parks and Forests issued an alert warning of heightened dingo activity along K’gari’s eastern beach, a notice that remains in place until the end of January.

‘Dingoes have been ripping tents, stealing food or property, damaging property and approaching people,’ the alert warned.

In October, a school-aged boy was hospitalised after being attacked by a dingo on the island.

By July 2023, more than 130 threatening or high-risk dingo incidents had already been recorded that year.

In one case, a 23-year-old woman was reportedly mauled while jogging and chased into the water by a pack, suffering multiple bite wounds.

In 2001, eight-year-old Clinton Gage was mauled to death by two native dogs while camping with his family on the island.

Police said at the time the animals stalked the boy and attacked when he tripped and fell.