Kangaroo attack victim does not want animal hunted or killed
A QUEENSLAND family who were attacked by a kangaroo have detailed the horrifying moment the animal turned on them, leaving a wife and mother with serious injuries.
QLD News
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A QUEENSLAND family who were attacked by a kangaroo have detailed the horrifying moment the animal turned on them, leaving a wife and mother with serious injuries.
Linda Smith, 64, was left with a collapsed lung, broken ribs, lacerations and other internal injuries, after the huge kangaroo attacked her at her Millmerran home on Saturday.
Speaking from her hospital bed, Mrs Smith said her husband, Jim, was feeding the kangaroo when it started attacking him. She then jumped in to try and help.
“Jim was on the ground and the kangaroo just kept at him,” she said.
“I went outside to try and help him and took a broom and a piece of bread but he knocked the broom out of my hand then attacked me.
“I got him off Jim and Jim got up and I managed to grab a piece of wood to defend myself with that.”
Ms Smith’s son then came out to help his mother, hitting the kangaroo in the head with a shovel to stop it from attacking her further.
Jim Smith told 7 News that the kangaroo lunged at him.
“Just out of the darkness this huge kangaroo came up and started attacking - didn’t have a second thought about it,” he said.
“Grabbing me... and kicking me. The first lunge, I think it lunged at my face and ripped my glasses off so I couldn’t see.
“Linda came over to try ward it off, so it picked on her and then I ran and got a shovel. I think it knocked me down, it knocked her down, and jumped on her.
“I thought I was fighting for my life at one stage there.
Mrs Smith said she had been a wildlife carer for the past 15 years and loves kangaroos. She hoped the animal that attacked her would remain safe despite the unfortunate incident.
“Around 30 kangaroos and wallabies come in each night to be fed,” she said.
“We feed them a mix of grain and chaff as with the drought there’s nothing out there.
“This one kangaroo came in and I thought it was Golly Gosh, one of the kangaroos we have raised. He was a huge grey, would have been at least 6ft.”
Mrs Smith said she understands kangaroos are wild animals, and what occurred was simply “an act of nature”.
“When you’re a carer you learn the dangers of all the other kangaroos and you’re always aware they are wild animals,” she said.
“I am always careful, especially of the males. It’s breeding time so they can be more aggressive.
“I don’t want this kangaroo to be hunted down and killed, I love animals.
“I do understand what happened but I have never seen one that aggressive — it was in there for a fight and it wouldn’t back off.”