Aggressive Kangaroo Tried To Drown Man

A man in Victoria, Australia was hospitalized after he battled a kangaroo that was trying to drown his dog Rocky in a dam.

Forty-nine-year-old Rickard told the Age that when the dog chased a kangaroo in a dam on his property in Arthurs Creek, 45 kilometers northwest of Melbourne, the kangaroo retaliated by pinning the dog under water. When Rickard rushed to his dog’s aid, the kangaroo tried to do the same to him:

That’s when the kangaroo actually leapt at me. He did take a swing at me. That’s what opened the cut above (my) eye. I thought that would be the end of it. I backed out with the dog, but the roo followed us.

Rickard believed that his dog was already dead when he got there, he said the dog’s eyes were open but his body was limp.

It was at that point that the male kangaroo turned his attentions on Rickard.

The roo brought me down to one knee and half got me under the water but there was no way he had enough force to get me completely under.

While he was doing that I was still trying to make my way to shore and protect the dog. Attempting to push me under the water was where all the scratches came from.

Rickard made it out of the dam, much the worse for wear, the clash left him with cuts to his head, chest, arms and a what was described as a deep wound across his abdomen.

Rickard described his injuries:

All the injuries were sustained while I was in the dam trying to pull the dog out. A large gash above my right eye – all that blood left me unable to see. Then there’s several large and deep scratches on my face, my neck, my back and chest, which are from the roo trying to push me down into the water.

Rickard holds no malice towards the kangaroo, which he described as an aggressive male, he said that it was simply standing its ground instead of running from the dog, what was unusual was that it actively chased the dog.

Other than that, it was just a normal male kangaroo that thought it couldn’t get away, so it took up its best defensive position, which was in a dam balanced on its tail ready to strike at anything that came near it.

The violent confrontation was ended when Rickard successfully landed a blow to the kangaroo’s throat, causing it to back off.

Rickard was rushed to hospital after being treated at the location by advanced life support paramedics. He is now at home recovering from his wounds. Home too is dog Rocky, who made a full recovery.

Images: Top, Top, Male kangaroos can sometimes become aggressive, especially during mating season; Bottom, Rickard recovers in hospital