Old Woman's Roo'ed Encounter

A 67-year old retiree was picking flowers near her home in the small town of Sunbury, near Melbourne, when she was attacked by a kangaroo. The roo knocked her down and clawed her. While the entire encounter only lasted about 30 second, she suffered scratches to her head, neck, and back severe enough to warrant surgery.

Some believe the kangaroo attacked because it was hungry. Townspeople note kangaroos have been approaching the houses in the neighborhood more frequently lately and many had feared an attack. Droughts in the region have killed much of the grasses the marsupials usually eat.

In March, a kangaroo bounded through a window in Canberra. It destroyed the bedroom before the homeowner found the courage to displace it by putting it in a "headlock" and dragging it outside. Last year, we brought you a similar report of an attack on an elderly woman. In that attack, her dog chased off the kangaroo, but not before she also suffered serious wounds.

© C Harris Lynn, 2009