Kangaroo Attack.
By: Peter Miles
Tags: Fauna, Kangaroos, Marsupials

Red Kangaroo. Image — Wikimedia Commons.

In Australia we have three species of large Kangaroo, Western Grey Kangaroo Macropus fuliginosus, Red Kangaroo M. rufus and Eastern Grey Kangaroo M. giganteus, the Red Kangaroo being the largest reaching 90kgms and over 180mm tall but the Western Grey can still be 65kgms and 180mm tall and is more muscular than the Red (Kangaroos, 2020).

I met a large Western Grey in the forest… ForestrySA grows plantations of Pinus radiata in the higher rainfall areas of South Australia, which is harvested and milled into timber for use in interior load bearing and construction work, but also has protected native bush areas within and around the pine forests. I was working in one of these bush areas, hand spraying herbicide on the woody weed gorse, when I heard a slow click…click…click noise, I hear a lot of noises in the bush, eucalypt branches rubbing together in the wind, birds calling but I hadn’t heard the click noise before.

Kangaroos fighting. Image — PxHere Creative Commons.

Turning around I saw a large male kangaroo just a few metres from me. Judging by the size he was probably a Western Grey. He was eating the shrubs nearby; I think the click noise was him biting the small branches. (I’ve found out since that they communicate with their off-spring by making clicking sounds and they do growl). I wasn’t too concerned, often seeing kangaroos in the areas where I work and they just hop away.

But as I moved closer to him, needing to reach some more gorse shrubs, he suddenly came over towards me, pushed through some eucalypt saplings and stood about 1m away, growling! He really was making Grrr Grrr noises and leaning towards me with each Grrr! This kangaroo was more than 180mm tall, we were looking eye to eye!

Red kangaroos fighting. Image — Wikimedia Commons.

I had my weed spray knapsack on my back with the plastic spray wand in my hand, so in the next second without thinking too much, I hit him as hard as I could with the spray wand across the chest! In that second everything slowed down, I must have squeezed the trigger handle of the wand as I lifted it up in the air because I saw a spray of pink fluid, pink from the red marker dye I was using, then bringing my arm and spray wand down on the kangaroo’s chest, upon which the plastic wand broke sending a jet of red dyed water into the air. This left me with only a broken plastic pipe stump in my hand for defence!

Luckily for me the kangaroo fell over on to his side. I momentarily felt bad for the kangaroo, ‘woops what have I done’, but that only lasted for 0.5 of a second. I made a hasty retreat while looking for a fallen branch to hit him with again if he chased me but do you think I could find a branch!? I’m in a eucalypt woodland and they drop branches all the time, except when you need one!

Meanwhile the kangaroo did get up, and hopped off, I didn’t see where he went, I was too busy running back to my vehicle!

So now the Forest Rangers are keeping an eye out for a large kangaroo with a red dye mark across his chest. The Rangers said I probably moved between him and his females, not that I saw any but they could have easily been there in amongst the vegetation.

I’m still spraying the same site but carrying a broom handle now, just in case!

Since my kangaroo close encounter, I was lucky not to actually be attacked, I have searched the internet for kangaroo attacks and they do happen, albeit not very often.

The big kangaroo who was growling at me could have grabbed me by the head with its front claws, sat up on his tail and clawed my stomach with its hind leg claws!

Kangaroo hind claws. Image — Wikimedia Commons.

Gray Kangaroo looking to see if you are near his females! Image — Wikimedia Commons.

In Australia kangaroos are protected and are a loved national symbol but my experience shows that they are still wild animals and we are in their environment.

Reference:

Kangaroos (2020) Bush Heritage Australia Kangaroos Facts & Information — Bush Heritage Australia