Young WA zookeeper facing surgery after dingo attack

A Western Australian zookeeper will undergo surgery today after she was bitten on the face by a dingo at a zoo south of Perth.

Zookeeper Emma Mitchell-Collett, 23, was attacked while trying to help a co-worker who’d been bitten by the dingo at Peel Zoo in Pinjarra.

“Ultimately he is a wild animal,” Ms Mitchell-Collett told 9NEWS.

“You can have them in captivity all you want, but they’re wild at heart.

“You can’t blame them for biting, natural instincts.”

The dingo is now in lockdown and additional barriers have been placed around its enclosure.

Ms Mitchell has already spent three days in hospital being treated for her injuries.

She said there is still a lot which is unknown about dingo behaviour, but believes he wanted her co-worker out of his area.

“Something happened, we don’t know what triggered him,” zookeeper Emma Mitchell-Collett, 23, said.

“There is a lot we still don’t know about dingo behaviour.

“He attacked her, I managed to get her out of the enclosure, he also attacked me.”

The volunteer involved was treated for less serious injuries.