For something a little different, I decided to visit Trove, an Australian newspaper archive created by the National Library of Australia. (https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/)
So, of course, the first thing that comes to mind when I think of Australia is the kangaroo population, and since this is Strange Ago, we are going to look at kangaroo attacks from the past.
Ready?
1. Held a Grown Man
In 1938, Miss Quick of Victoria wrote in to The Australian Women’s Weekly to share her kangaroo story. She wrote:
“This real-life adventure happened when we were living in the bush. One morning, early, I accompanied
father on a fishing trip.
“He baited two lines, threw them in the river, and told me not to move. He said he would be back In a few minutes.
“After what seemed to me an hour, I heard father call out. Leaving the lines, I ran in the direction he had gone.
“I shall never forget the horror of that sight. Father was being carried in the arms of a very big old-man
kangaroo. He called to me to hide as the kangaroo might attack me.
“I sat down behind a tree, waiting for what, I do not know.
“After sitting there for what seemed an eternity, I again heard father’s voice calling. This time he sounded cheerful, and I was overjoyed to see him in the distance-without the kangaroo.
“He had managed to work one arm free, and got his hand into the pocket in which he kept his knife. Then, still with only one hand free, he opened the knife and stuck it into the arm of the kangaroo, which let go.
“Otherwise it would have meant death for him, as the old kangaroo was heading in the direction of the river and would have held him down until he drowned.” [Source]
2. Threw Dog Over a Cliff
This next story is from 1940 and shows us how quickly a kangaroo can attack.
“A kangaroo at bay attacked Lawrence Myers (14) near his home at Sandy Hollow (N.S.W.) and, with teeth and claws, inflicted serious injuries. But for the help of his elder brother, who drove off the kangaroo, the boy would probably have been killed.
“Myers was climbing a mountain near his home when his dog gave chase to the kangaroo. The boy followed and found the dog and the kangaroo fighting on a narrow ledge on a cliff face. The ‘roo seized the dog and hurled it over the cliff, and immediately attacked the boy, who had been watching the struggle from 20 paces away. Fearful of sharing the fate of the dog, the boy fought grimly until his brother arrived, and he was able to escape. Later he was treated in hospital at Denman for injuries to the arms, legs, back and face. A wound in his face, near his left eye required seven stitches.” [Source]
3. “Great Pet”
What really blows my mind after reading through so many kangaroo attack reports is the amount of people who keep these wild animals as pets.
The following account is from New South Wales, 1930:
“Mrs. Pelgrave, wife of a billiard room proprietor, Broken Hill, was so badly mauled by a buck kangaroo at her residence that she is now confined to her bed under medical care.
“It appears that shortly before noon, Connie McLoughlin (15), the child of a neighbor, went into the kangaroo yard, as is her custom, to play with the buck kangaroo and three others which are in the enclosure. She had not been in there long before Mrs. Pelgrave heard her screaming. She rushed down to the yard and found the child lying on the ground with the ‘old man’ kangaroo biting at her head.
“With a stick, Mrs. Pelgrave beat the animal off, but it immediately attacked her. With its powerful legs she was knocked to the ground, and while lying there the animal savagely bit and clawed at her.
“Screams attracted a man living at the back of Pelgrave’s, but before he could enter the yard to give assistance he had to break in a gate. Others also came to give help but by this time Mrs. Pelgrave had suffered a severe mauling. When examined after being freed it was found that Mrs. Pelgrave had had a very narrow escape of losing her right eye.
“A long and deep gash was inflicted in the bottom eyelid, this leading to the high cheek. A piece of flesh was bitten out of her right hand, deep scratches were inflicted in the left hand and shoulder, and a large amount of hair was torn from her scalp. In addition she suffered severely from shock. She is now confined to her bed, with her eye and both hands bandaged.
“Mrs. Pelgrave is unable to account for the attack, as the buck kangaroo is regarded, and is treated, as a great pet, and both she and Mr. Pelgrave have frequently boxed with it.” [Source]
4. Vicious Attack
So far, in all of these attacks, the people survived. However, that was not always the case. A 1936 report out of Hillston tells us:
“As a result of his attempt to rescue two dogs from a large kangaroo some months ago, William Cruickshank, 38, died in Hillston Hospital. The animal turned and attacked him. His jaw was broken and he received extensive head injuries, which confined him to the hospital until his death.” [Source]
5. Unprovoked
What I find most disturbing about many of the kangaroo attacks is that they happened unprovoked. Take, for instance, this attack in 1919:
“Olly Davies, the well-known jockey, had an unpleasant experience with a kangaroo at Newcastle racecourse last week. He was walking across the track for the purpose of riding a horse, when a kangaroo suddenly jumped from behind, and knocked him down. When he rose to his feet again he saw the kangaroo still standing in defiance. The pair then fought for upwards of half an hour, and eventually the jockey, with the aid of a piece of wood, sent the kangaroo reeling to the ground. While in that position, the caretaker came along with a gun and shot the kangaroo. Davies was considerably mauled about, and his clothing was almost torn from his body.” [Source]
