A UK tourist’s video filmed on K’gari just days before the death of backpacker Piper James has sparked a wave of outrage, with viewers accusing the traveller of blatantly ignoring clear safety warnings on the dingo-inhabited island.
British visitor Millie McCarthy posted a four-minute video on TikTok showing herself wandering alone through the scrub at dusk, carrying only ‘a Smirnoff can and a Labubu camera purse’.
Her clip, uploaded on January 13, came less than a week before Piper James’ body was discovered on Seventy-Five Mile Beach on January 19.
The 19-year-old was found at about 5am, roughly an hour after friends said she’d gone for a swim.
Two passers-by discovered her surrounded by dingoes, though a preliminary assessment found the bites occurred after her death.
In the video, Ms McCarthy walks past a large dingo-warning sign and openly debates whether to take a safety pole, known as a dingo stick, provided to visitors leaving fenced 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.
