A 59-year-old man was hospitalised after brawling with a kangaroo in Central Victoria.

Cliff Dess, who lives in Heathcote, Victoria, recalled that he stumbled upon the roo when the wild animal was trying to get to his dogs one Tuesday morning.

He said that he approached the animal with caution to shoo it away.

“I was a good 30-40 feet away from it, but it stood back on its tail and hind legs and claws up and started making grunting noises,” Mr Dess shared.

However, the kangaroo did not go away and attacked Mr Dess instead.

“It was a six-foot buck in an aggressive mood,” he said.

The encounter was caught on camera, with Mr Dess running for his life as the wild animal aggressively attacked him.

Credit: YouTube/7NEWS Australia​

The footage also shows the animal stopping in its tracks to square up the man before attacking again.

Fortunately for Mr Dess, he managed to grab a stick for protection.

“I was fortunate enough I landed, there was a big stick there, so I sort of started whacking it across the head and that and started defending myself but then the stick snapped like a carrot.”

The grandfather did not back down and wrestled the animal instead.

The encounter lasted minutes until the man was able to wrestle the beast to the ground using his weight to subdue it.

Mr Dess quipped: “At least I had a little bit of fight in the tank.”

59-year-old Cliff Dess injured his back during the encounter. Credit: 7NEWS.​

The brawl resulted in the grandfather injuring his back. He also disclosed that he incurred a number of scratches and bites.

Mr Dess said that he's glad that the animal attacked him and not someone else.

“There’s a lot of old people who walk past here and a lot of women with children and prams. It could’ve been worse. It could’ve been one of those,” he said.

The grandfather also said that the encounter taught him to think twice before approaching a kangaroo next time.

“(I’ll) give them their space and I’ll keep my distance from them in the future,” he said.

What are your thoughts on this? Better yet, do you have tips for keeping yourself safe from kangaroos? Share them with us in the comments below!

 

[Ricci]

Gee that guy was lucky, it could have been so much worse. I have a healthy respect for these animals, they regularly crop the grass on my front lawn but I've never gone out to meet them, and when I see them around the village I always give them a very wide berth.

 

[cat55]

A small child could approach thinking the roo was docile. Aggressive Roos should be treated like an aggressive and dangerous dog. If it attacks a person then it should be dealt with somehow. Removed from the area or whatever the authorities see fit.

 

[JayKay]

When my son was 2, he was attacked by a kangaroo, despite being about 20' from it.
We'd seen other children patting it, but we continued on our way.
It went for my son's eyes, but he turned at the exact moment the roo bounded for him.
He was severely scratched all down the back of his head and trunk.
After the attack, my little boy developed glandular fever, and was incredibly ill for over 12 months.
He still has the physical scars 33 years later.

 

[glennm257]

Grandfather gets hospitalised after fierce encounter with an aggressive kangaroo​

A 59-year-old man was hospitalised after brawling with a kangaroo in Central Victoria.

Cliff Dess, who lives in Heathcote, Victoria, recalled that he stumbled upon the roo when the wild animal was trying to get to his dogs one Tuesday morning.

He said that he approached the animal with caution to shoo it away.

“I was a good 30-40 feet away from it, but it stood back on its tail and hind legs and claws up and started making grunting noises,” Mr Dess shared.

However, the kangaroo did not go away and attacked Mr Dess instead.

“It was a six-foot buck in an aggressive mood,” he said.

The encounter was caught on camera, with Mr Dess running for his life as the wild animal aggressively attacked him.

Credit: YouTube/7NEWS Australia​

The footage also shows the animal stopping in its tracks to square up the man before attacking again.

Fortunately for Mr Dess, he managed to grab a stick for protection.

“I was fortunate enough I landed, there was a big stick there, so I sort of started whacking it across the head and that and started defending myself but then the stick snapped like a carrot.”

The grandfather did not back down and wrestled the animal instead.

The encounter lasted minutes until the man was able to wrestle the beast to the ground using his weight to subdue it.

Mr Dess quipped: “At least I had a little bit of fight in the tank.”

59-year-old Cliff Dess injured his back during the encounter. Credit: 7NEWS.​

The brawl resulted in the grandfather injuring his back. He also disclosed that he incurred a number of scratches and bites.

Mr Dess said that he's glad that the animal attacked him and not someone else.

“There’s a lot of old people who walk past here and a lot of women with children and prams. It could’ve been worse. It could’ve been one of those,” he said.

The grandfather also said that the encounter taught him to think twice before approaching a kangaroo next time.

“(I’ll) give them their space and I’ll keep my distance from them in the future,” he said.

What are your thoughts on this? Better yet, do you have tips for keeping yourself safe from kangaroos? Share them with us in the comments below!

the roo is a wild animal you do not shoo a wild animal you should not approach them.
I would have gotten the dogs inside and left the roo alone

 

[Suzanne rose]

One lucky and brave man