The terrified kangaroo fought off a pack of dogs in the dramatic new footage, which is only the latest clip to show a clash between the two animals taking place in water
A jaw-dropping video shows the moment a brave ‘boxing kangaroo’ fought off a pack of dogs – breathing new life into an urban legend about the Australian creatures.
In the incredible clip, which has been widely shared online since being posted to TikTok on Monday, the animal can be seen wrestling with four hounds in the middle of a river. The kangaroo is seen backing away at first, before one of the dogs leaps at it, to which it responds by grabbing the dog and pushing it down. It eventually moves to higher ground in the centre of the river, forcing the dogs to retreat.
It’s only the latest video to show a clash between kangaroos and domestic dogs in water. Recent viral clips have sparked fierce debate over whether they lure them there on purpose so they can drown them, or if they are simply trying to get away from their attackers by any means necessary.
Last year, Aussie Mick Moloney leapt to his dog’s rescue when it was held down in a lake by a seven-foot kangaroo. In the footage, a kangaroo could be seen holding his dog’s head down in the water before Mick stepped in to confront it – and things eventually came to blows. Mr Moloney – who said he is trained in Brazilian jujitsu – walked away from the fight with only a few scratches. He told 7 News Sunrise after the incident: “Most dogs would protect their owner with their life. No way I would let him get drowned. Would absolutely protect my dog.”
But after the latest video, a wildlife expert has said that he reckons it’s almost always the dogs trying to attack the kangaroos, rather than the other way around. It is thought they have learnt to move into rivers to protect themselves against dingoes. Deakin University wildlife ecologist Professor Euan Ritchie told Yahoo news Australia: “Kangaroos don’t lure dogs to water bodies, they retreat to them, and it is here that they can use their height advantage, and long arms and powerful claws, to hold down and drown dogs as they swim out to attempt to attack the kangaroos. It’s very well-known and has killed many a farm or hunting dog in Australia. Presumably kangaroos have learnt this behaviour to survive attacks by dingoes.”
