‘Not aggressive’: Petting zoo worker killed after ‘rough-housing’ with kangaroo

An American petting zoo worker has been found dead in a kangaroo enclosure after reportedly “rough-housing” with the animal.

The brother of a South Carolina petting zoo owner was apparently beaten to death by a kangaroo after possibly going into the Aussie animal’s pen to “rough-house” with it, authorities said.

Eric Slate’s body was discovered inside the facility just before midnight on Friday night at 5-Star Farm near Loris — about 30 miles north of Myrtle Beach, the Horry County Coroner’s Office said.

Slate, 52, had a “history” of stepping into the kangaroo enclosure and “rough-housing” with it, which is what was happening at the time of his death, local council member Mark Causey told News13.

“It just went south,” he said.

The kangaroo was still in its enclosure at the family-owned farm when Slate’s body was found.

The farm recently posted a picture of a large red kangaroo named Mr Jack, adding, “He loves neck scratches and will take treats from your hands.”

The 5-Star Farm recently posted a picture of a kangaroo named Mr. Jack, but it’s not clear whether he was the animal that killed Eric Slate. Photo: Facebook

A set up from a fair in 2018. Photo: Facebook

It’s not clear which animal killed Slate, but he was found with “multiple blunt force injuries.”

Adult male red kangaroos can weigh nearly 90kg and grow up to 1.8m tall, with powerful feet for kicking.

In 2022, an elderly man was killed by his pet kangaroo in Western Australia, but that was believed to be the first time a roo killed a person in nearly 90 years in the country.

However, plenty more deaths have been caused by kangaroos in road crashes, which has led to fatalities.

5-Star Farm offers an interactive petting zoo with exotic animals, including camels, wallabies and kangaroos, owner Robert Slate wrote in a Facebook post.

“Please keep my family in your thoughts and prayers,” he said.

Some kangaroos, like Roger the alpha male here, are jacked. Picture: The Kangaroo Sanctuary, Alice Springs.

The man’s body was found inside the enclosure at 5 Star Farm near Loris shortly before midnight on Friday night. Photo: Facebook

The kangaroo is not aggressive and has not been euthanized, Causey added.

“It’s not an aggressive animal. It’s very sad … It was not the animal’s fault,” he said.

Experts are coming in this week to ensure the enclosure is safe and the animal is OK, he said.

South Carolina has some of the loosest restrictions in the US on the ownership of exotic animals.

It is one of only three states where kangaroo ownership isn’t prohibited.

This story first appeared in the New York Post and was republished with permission.

Originally published as ‘Not aggressive’: Petting zoo worker killed after ‘rough-housing’ with kangaroo