Here in the US, we think of kangaroos as a kind of bizarre and cute creature. But “down under,” they know that the large marsupials can be dangerous, even deadly, as one Australian grandfather was recently reminded.
It happened in his own front yard, where Cliff Dess was forced to protect his beloved dogs from a rampaging ‘roo!
Dess was in his front yard when the 5-foot, 9-inch marsupial attacked. He was caught in a sparring match for several minutes as he tried to shield his dogs from the kangaroo’s rage.
The 59-year-old described the knockdown drag-out fight to the local press.
“….I went ass up [when he hit me], and then he jumped on me back,” Dees said of the attack. “I was just fortunate enough there was a stick there where I landed.”
Hit after hit, round after round, the Dess tried to fight back while at the same trying to calm his distressed dogs.
“Took him to the ground it was just fortunate that I did because he would have opened me up like an envelope, so yeah, I wrestled him on the ground for five minutes,” Dees said.
Dess was left battered and bruised and with quite a story to tell.
“He gouged the top of me head, he bit me on the finger and cut me down the arm ripped and me jacket off,” Dees said of the attack.
The kangaroo had been spotted on Dess’s property in the week since the attack. Despite his injuries, he says he doesn’t hold a grudge toward the animal.
“I don’t know his name, and I don’t really want to, but he’s in the yard every night,” Dees said. “There’s 15- to 20-odd roos in the area.”
Temby Temby, who spent 33 years with the Department of Environment, Land, Water, and Planning, said kangaroo attacks are rare, but could be fatal in some circumstances.
“If you’re standing up, the kangaroo can kick you with its hind feet, and that can pretty much rip you open,” he said. “That’s extremely dangerous.”
“You need to crouch down low and back away, get away, and get a bush or a tree between you and the kangaroo. It’s not going to chase you far.”
Temby said the best way to avoid being attacked by a kangaroo is to keep a safe distance, never give them food, and to watch for signs of aggression, such as standing on their toes, scratching their stomach, or growling.
If a kangaroo does attack, never stand tall and face the animal because it might be interpreted as a challenge to fight.
“There is real danger there,” he said. “These blokes who think they’re macho and go and spar with a kangaroo … that’s the dumbest thing you can do.”
He said that Dess is “very lucky to be alive.”
I fought a Kangaroo over a girl once, he knew karate, I didn’t, he whooped on me something bad , luckily my friend the Bear was waking up, he stopped the fight, made the Roo go home, picked up my teeth and said that’s enough for now and gave me a quarter for every tooth that the Roo knocked out , I left that fight two dollars richer.
One thing remains unclear. Were you fighting over a female human or female kangaroo? This entire episode could have been avoidable.
8fi6og
Two question marks. How did they come up with a precise height for Mr. Marsupial? Did he stand still before a measuring diagram like those used when suspected criminals are booked? Did he have an arrest record that contained the information? Did the confrontation begin with both fighters standing back-to-back like they do in old movies before commencing a duel?
Second: The subject line in the e-mail that provided this saga stated that the granddad was “viscously” attacked. Viscous means thick, like motor oil. How was the ‘roo thick? Maybe the details were laid on thick? Maybe the complainant gets his kicks from invention rather than from kangaroos.
Just a thought.
It’s hard to come by experienced people on this subject, however, you sound like you know what you’re talking about!
Thanks