Australia’s first fatal kangaroo attack in nearly 90 years is believed to have happened this week.
It happened after a man was seriously injured by one of the marsupials in the state of Western Australia.
The last fatal kangaroo attack was reported in 1936, when 38-year-old William Cruickshank died of a severe head injury.
The most recent victim was a 77-year-old man who was found by a relative with serious injuries on Sunday at his home in Redmond, 250 miles southeast of Perth.
Police believe he may have kept the animal as a pet.
When emergency services arrived on the scene, the male kangaroo prevented paramedics from treating the man.
Police then shot the animal dead so they could reach the 77-year-old man, who died at the scene.
Western gray kangaroos can weigh up to 54kg and be 1.3m tall.
However, they can be intimidating if they attack, grabbing rival kangaroos – or anything else – with their wrinkled arms, before balancing on their tails and delivering worthy kicks. fear with their enhanced legs.
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Kangaroo rushes over the fence in the fight
Breeding of Australia’s native creatures, such as kangaroos, is legally restricted – although police say they have no information on whether the man has a marsupial license .
“This looks like an adult male and they get pretty aggressive and they don’t do well in captivity,” said Tanya Irwin at Indigenous Animal Rescue in Perth.
She added: “We don’t know what the situation is like; if he’s in pain or why he’s in captivity and unfortunately… they’re not a cute animal, they’re one wild animals.”
Bill Bateman, a behavioral ecologist at Curtin University, said: ‘My guess is that if this kangaroo is treated as a pet, it has become very familiar with humans, it doesn’t treat people. is a threat, and often the animals in that situation begin to become aggressive.
“Maybe it’s reacting to people like they’re kangaroos, and it’s being defensive, or aggressive, or maybe it’s getting ready to mate and then it attacks people when they get to the compound. .”
