Victorian man recalls fierce fight with a ‘six foot buck roo in a bad mood’

An Aussie grandfather’s six-minute brawl with a “mad” kangaroo has gone viral overseas, with some describing it as “just another day Down Under”.

A central Victorian man has recalled his wild six-minute fight with an enraged kangaroo that “gouged” his head.

Heathcote man Cliff Des was at his home last week when “a six foot buck roo in a bad mood” tried to rip his dogs out of the front yard.

His attempts to shoo the animal away failed, leading to his tussle with the marsupial.

“It just put its claws up, stood on its back feet and started chasing me,” Mr Des told Today on Tuesday.

“I started running into my yard and next thing you know I’ve slipped over and it’s jumped on my back.”

A man defends fiercely against an angry kangaroo.

Mr Des grabbed a stick that he spotted nearby and started swinging at the kangaroo which backed him into a corner against a fence.

“I fought it off with a stick and after three whacks ... it snapped like a carrot,” he said.

“I thought, ‘this thing means business, it’s going to mongrel me real good’.”

Mr Des then wrestled the animal to the ground.

“I was on the ground for five minutes after that wrestling it. It tried to gouge my face, I put my head down so I gouged me on the top of my head,” Mr Des said.

“It bit my finger … it put its back claw about an inch and a half into my leg.”

When Mr Des finally made his escape the kangaroo attempted to get one last shot in, chasing him around the car and into the yard.

kangaroo attack

But despite his close encounter and being left with quite a few battle scars, Mr Des still has warm feelings towards kangaroos.

“They’re a beautiful creature, they’re an Australian icon … what I can take from the whole scenario is just don’t go near them,” he said.

The incredible story has since gone viral overseas.

Entertainment website TMZ’s headline read, “MAN VS. KANGAROO. Just Another Day Down Under!!!”

“The people of Australia have a lot to deal with when it comes to vicious wildlife – but very rarely do they have to square up with the country‘s national animal, the kangaroo – which makes a new video that much more shocking,” the article said.

Fox News host Tucker Carlson played the clip during his “Final Exam” segment on Friday.

“This is one of the wildest videos you’ve seen in a while,” he said.

“Is this in Australia?” said Fox Nation host Abby Hornacek as she watched the video.

“Because this makes sense, an Australian would go out there to fight a kangaroo. They punch don’t they? It’s like a boxing match.”

The story was picked up by other outlets including pop culture website Complex, the UK Mirror and tech blog Boing Boing.

It comes after a golf course on the Gold Coast was forced to close last week following continued kangaroo attacks.

Two women in their 60s suffered serious injuries in two separate attacks, with one rushed to hospital and the other left with large cuts to her neck, arms and back.