Authorities are investigating the deliberate decapitation of a protected native animal on a popular tourist island in Queensland.

Park rangers on the world heritage-listed K’gari Island found a dead dingo at Ngkala Rocks on the eastern side of the island, north of Waddy Point, on June 1.

The dingo was believed to have been hit and killed by a car.

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Alarmingly, however, the rangers discovered the protected animal had also been deliberately decapitated.

An independent veterinary examination confirmed the ranger’s findings, with the Department of the Environment, Tourism, Science and Innovation (DETSI) now investigating the dingo’s death.

“Anyone who was visiting the Orchid Beach and Waddy Point area north to Ngkala Rocks in late May or early June or has dashcam footage is urged to contact DETSI,” a spokesperson said.

Dingoes are protected in Queensland National Parks as a native species under the Nature Conservation Act 1992.

The maximum penalty if convicted of wilfully killing a protected animal on K’gari is $483,900 or two years imprisonment.

The same penalty applies to the taking of parts of a deceased protected animal from K’gari.

Rangers on K’gari have also asked people to drive cautiously on the beach following recent deaths of dingoes due to suspected vehicle strikes.