FIFO worker mauled by dingoes faces long road to recovery

A vicious dingo attack on a fly-in fly-out worker will see authorities consider culling the animals in Western Australia's north.

Debbie Rundle, 54, who is a security worker, was eating lunch at a designated safe eating area at the Telfer gold and copper mine at Pilbara last Wednesday when a dingo approached her.

The dingo stole her mobile phone and when she went to retrieve it, two other dingoes then attacked her.

Ms Rundle has had two operations at Royal Perth Hospital and will need plastic surgery to repair deep wounds to her legs, arms and body.

Workers have told 9NEWS the dingoes hang around the camp like rats scavenging for food.

But experts say that's not in their nature.

"They're coming into these campsites and mine sites, which again isn't a dingo's behaviour," Beth Mullany from West Oz Wildlife said.

"We're finding people have been feeding them and they are opportunistic feeders."

While authorities won't commit to a cull yet, they admit more could be done to reduce the risks.

"We're spending $27 million over the next four years trying to deal with this, but this is a wake-up call," Agriculture Minister Alannah Mactiernan said.

Mine site operator Newcrest said training is provided to its workforce and visitors on dingo awareness, but said this incident happened outside a fenced area and that the company will review its processes.