Kangaroo attacks are rare in Australia
Photo: Getty Images / BBC News Brazil
An Australian man died after being attacked by a kangaroo he kept as a pet, police said.
A relative found the 77yearold seriously injured on Monday at his home in Redmond, around 400 kilometers south of Perth.
When paramedics arrived at the estate, the kangaroo prevented them from attending to him.
The police were forced to shoot and kill the marsupial. The man died on the spot.
A police spokesman told media he believes the man was attacked by the kangaroo a wild animal earlier in the day.
Australia is home to around 50 million kangaroos, which can weigh up to 90 kg and grow up to 2 m in height.
But fatal attacks are rare this is Australia’s first since 1936.
Kangaroos have “many weapons” like sharp teeth, claws and strong legs, kangaroo behavior expert Graeme Coulson told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation.
“Sure, if they’re cornered or they’re in any kind of illness, it can get pretty dangerous,” Coulson said.
“The problem with kangaroos and humans is that they are both upright animals, we stand, and such upright posture is a challenge for the male kangaroo.”
In July, a 67yearold woman was left with lacerations and a broken leg after a kangaroo attacked her while hiking in Queensland.
And a threeyearold girl suffered serious head injuries in an attack in New South Wales in March.
Urban development across Australia is increasingly encroaching on wild kangaroo habitats.
This text was published at https://www.bbc.com/portuguese/geral62889023