A retiree is counting himself lucky after being viciously attacked by a kangaroo while trying to rescue his dog in regional Victoria.
Col was at a friend’s home when his dog’s frantic barking set off alarm bells that something was wrong.
“The kangaroo was trying to grab [my dog], so I got a stick and hit him,” Col told 3AW.
Thinking the danger had passed, he asked his friend to bring the dog to safety—but when he turned around, the kangaroo charged out of the water “like a rocket.”
“He headbutted me in the face…and punched me. His little gremlin hands grabbed my head and he wouldn’t let go,” Col said.
Despite his struggle to free himself, the kangaroo remained latched on until Col’s friend intervened, using a shovel to drive the animal back.
Col estimates the entire attack lasted only about 25 seconds, though it left him with injuries he described as similar to those from a car crash. He spent roughly six hours in hospital and considers himself “very, very lucky to be alive.”
“If I hadn’t rolled onto my stomach, I would have been in a much worse way. He got me through both sides of the stomach. The ultrasound said it went in three inches,” he said, adding that his shirt likely prevented even deeper wounds.
Despite the terrifying encounter, Col admitted he feels “a bit embarrassed that I got flogged by a kangaroo,” noting the incident is a reminder that kangaroos are unpredictable wild animals.
Local pest control expert Alex Krsti told 3AW that while such attacks are rare, they are within a kangaroo’s capabilities. “This kangaroo’s adrenaline is up… and they’re very aggressive,” Krsti said. “Col’s lucky [the kangaroo] didn’t disembowel him.”