A Queensland man in his fifties is “very lucky” to be alive after he was attacked by a “massive” kangaroo while walking to his car, having suffered serious hip injuries and wounds to his arms and chest.
The man would have bled to death had his nextdoor neighbour not been home to assist him in the aftermath, Willows Rural fire brigade’s Rick Underhill said on Wednesday.
The man encountered two kangaroos, one male and one female, on his property in Willows, a rural town about 350km west of Rockhampton. The female kangaroo fled before the “other bastard turned around and attacked him”.
He estimated the animal was around 2 metres tall and weighed at least 100kg.
“It made a hell of a mess of this poor man … it’s damaged him really badly,” Underhill said.
The man was driven to Emerald hospital before he was airlifted to Rockhampton hospital, where he was in a stable condition.
There are public warnings in place for two large kangaroos in Willows that may pose a danger, the ABC reported.
Kangaroo attacks are rare but can occur when the animal feels threatened, according to research on the Queensland government’s website.
“This bastard wasn’t provoked … I’ve been out here for 13, 14 years, and I’ve never seen a problem out here, ever,” Underhill said.
“I spent 20 years in the army, for instance, in all sorts of conditions, and I’ve never, ever seen a roo attack someone before.”
Underhill said the community was terrified because when wild animals attack humans, they could strike again.
“Stay at home and don’t go out,” he warned.
“A lot of elderly people live in this little community, and they like to go and walk their dogs in the morning. And that’s just asking for trouble.”
He was also concerned tourists in the area wouldn’t see kangaroos as a threat, adding they were “liable to bloody turn on you at any time, particularly around this time of year”.
