It was suggested in a newspaper column a few months ago that one of the judges presiding over one of the court cases thought it was more likely that someone’s pet dog attacked Azaria, rather than a dingo.
Dingoes are generally wary of approaching large groups of humans, and some find the idea that one was brazen enough to enter a campsite, and then a tent, to drag off an infant unlikely.
I must say I’m a touch mystified by the continuing American interest/obsession with this case. While it was certainly infamous in Aus at the time you don’t catch people here coming up with ‘dingoes eating babies’ comments routinely. The most recent one I’ve seen was an ascerbic comment about the Olympics opening ceremony by an American journalist, who thought it might’ve been improved had Nikki (young girl doing the trapeze bit during Deep Sea Dreaming) been attacked by dingoes.
Well, at least that simplifies the “explanation to the folks at home.”
Which would you rather?
“Say Fred, why do your ankles look like they’ve gone through cheese grater?”
A) “Oh, I was attacked by a fairy penguin on my vacation in Australia”
or
B) “I had to fight off a Predaceous Ravagebird Down Under, the buggers have got teeth like a barracuda!”
Now that’s a bloody good point dpr. How did Australia’s the only forest dwelling creature known to be capable of unprovoked and lethal attacks on humans get off without any publicity, whilst Fairy Penguins get their reputation so besmirched?
Might it be because it only attacks eco-tourists, who are perhaps more sanguine about being part of the food chain?
