The kangaroo had to be euthanised
A man in Australia has been killed after he was attacked by a kangaroo he had been keeping as a pet since it was a joey.
On Sunday, 11 September, local alpaca breeder Peter Eades was found by a family member at his home in Redmond, Western Australia, having sustained "serious injuries."
But when emergency services arrived at the scene, they were met with an "ongoing theat" as the kangaroo blocked them from treating Eades.
The three-year-old animal was reported as having made it difficult for emergency services to get to the man by standing guard over his body.
Police subsequently decided to shoot the kangaroo in a bid to try and save Eades, but his injuries were too severe and he passed away at the scene.
A WA Police spokesperson told
9News: "The attending officers were required to euthanise the kangaroo by firearm."
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The last fatal kangaroo attack is reported as having taken place over 80 years ago in 1936 in New South Wales.
Graeme Coulson, a kangaroo behavioural expert, explained to
ABC News that "the problem with kangaroos and people is we're both upright animals, we stand on our two feet, and an upright stance like that is a challenge to the male kangaroo."
He continued: "They don't distinguish between people and other kangaroos and that gets particularly risky when the male grows, and becomes bigger and stronger, and then you can have problems like this."
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IZhOpafR590
Coulson added that the animals have "a lot of weapons" such as sharp nails and sharp teeth, and that they can be "quite dangerous" when cornered or in distress.
Despite this, he said that it is "very, very rare" that kangaroo attacks end up being fatal.
Members of the community said Eades was an animal lover and had hand-raised the animal from when it was a joey.
Wildlife carer Michelle Jones said the tragedy served as a reminder that kangaroos are wild animals and "definitely not pets."
She continued: "I have raised joeys that sat in the palm of my hand and hadn't even opened up their eyes yet [...] At around 18 months to three years of age, these beautiful sweet lovable [animals], which is the description I would give them up to that point, become wild animals.
"They want to spar, they want to box, and right now it's kangaroo breeding season."
A report on Eades' death will be prepared for the coroner.
