SYDNEY, Australia — An elderly woman was attacked by a large kangaroo on a farm in Australia and was lucky to be alive after a pet dog leapt to her aid, her son said Saturday.
The 6-foot, 5-inch kangaroo lunged without warning at 65-year-old Rosemary Neal as she went to check on some horses in a paddock on the property near Mudgee, 160 miles northwest of Sydney, on Friday, son Darren Neal said.
The kangaroo “just jumped up and launched straight at her,” Darren Neal said. “He hit her once and she just dropped and rolled. My dog heard her screaming and bolted down and chased him off.
“It wasn’t for the dog she’d probably be dead.”
Rosemary Neal was hospitalized for for deep cuts to her face, hands and back and a concussion, he said.
Kangaroos are widespread across Australia and there are dozens of species in the family, including tiny, 17-ounce potoroos and red kangaroos, the world’s largest marsupial, which can grow past 6 feet tall and weigh more than 200 pounds.
Most species are not considered aggressive toward humans, and attacks are rare. But males fight each other for mates, rearing up on their tails to scratch at their rivals’ soft bellies.
Darren Neal said mobs of kangaroos had become common on their farm and his mother thought nothing of walking through them in the paddock. Usually, they just jump away.
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