Australian Man's Horrific Kangaroo Fight Leaves Him With 'Car Crash' Injuries

A retired Australian farmer is feeling “very lucky” to be alive following a brutal fight with an aggressive kangaroo that left him with “car-crash”-style injuries.

Col, a retired farmer who lives in Melbourne with his wife and family, told the harrowing tale on the Tuesday, Feb. 10, installment of the city’s morning radio program 3AW Drive. Col recalled how he was spending a lazy day at a friend’s house when suddenly the pair heard one of the farm dogs barking. After a brief investigation, they found the dog barking at a kangaroo that had walked onto the property. Despite their best efforts, Col and his friend were unable to deter the kangaroo before the situation escalated.

“We drove across the paddock to the dam, and the kangaroo was standing up…leaning back on their tail trying to grab us. So I hit him with a stick, and he jumped into the dam,” Col recalled. “He just came out of the water like a bloody rocket and headbutted me in the face and punched the c–k out of me,” he continued, with a particularly Antipodean turn of phrase. “I've gone onto my back, and when I stood up to run away, he’s given me…a roundhouse to the back and jumped on me and grabbed my head…He wouldn't let go.”

Eventually, Col’s friend was able to “[get] a shovel and hit” the kangaroo until it stopped its attack and retreated down into the dam. Col was taken to a local hospital, where he spent the next six hours under doctors’ supervision.

Col Was Seriously Injured, But Will Make a Full Recovery

Photos of Col after the attack show the elderly man covered in blood, with large claw marks and bruising down his entire back, scratches on his arms, and a gory bandage wrapped around his head. He estimated that the kangaroo left claw marks on both sides of his abdomen, which were about three inches deep. Doctors said his injuries resembled those one would get in a “car crash,” rather than a kangaroo brawl. All in all, Col is feeling “very lucky” to be alive and well.

“It was really quick. A lot of injuries for probably 25 seconds of work,” the retiree said. “I am very lucky. If I hadn’t rolled onto my stomach, I would have been in a lot [sic] worse way.”

Kangaroo Attacks on Humans Are Extremely Rare

Though stories of their violent exploits travel far and wide, it’s exceedingly rare for a kangaroo to attack a human being. Fatal attacks are even more unlikely, with only two documented cases of kangaroo-on-human murder on the continent. Many attacks occur when kangaroos feel that their territory has been invaded; if they’ve been cornered by humans; or (as is the likely case in Col’s attack) when they’re provoked by dogs.