A kangaroo killed a man in Australia after allegedly keeping the wild animal as a “pet” and held him in captivity.
What Happened
Australian police reported that an adult male kangaroo attacked a 77-year-old man near the country’s state capital, Perth.
The police stated the man may have kept the wild animal as a pet and believed he had been attacked earlier in the day. He was found on his property by a relative who reported “serious injuries.”
The police shot and killed the animal because it was said to be a threat to emergency responders and had prevented paramedics from reaching the injured elderly man.
The man died at the scene.
Police believe the victim had been keeping the wild kangaroo as a pet, but the police media office said Tuesday they had no information to make public regarding whether the victim had a permit.
Wild Kangaroos Don’t Make Good Pets
Australia has legal restrictions on keeping kangaroos as pets. Permits issued for kangaroo ownership are normally given to wildlife centers that have trained people to tend them.
Western gray kangaroos are common in Australia’s southwest, stand over 4 feet tall, and can weigh up to 119 pounds.
Male kangaroos can be aggressive and fight people with the stellar techniques, like using their short upper limbs to fight, their muscular tails to take an opponent’s body weight, and their powerful clawed hind legs.
Kangaroo Deaths in Australia
The last time Australia reported ‘death by kangaroo’ was more than 85 years ago.
1936: William Cruickshank, 38, died in a hospital in New South Wales months after being attacked by a kangaroo. Cruickshank survived but suffered extensive head injuries and a broken jaw.
Kangaroos are a marsupial and are one of the three subgroups of mammals. They are also mammals, or “pouched mammals.
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