http://www.thatslife.com.au/article.asp?ArticleID=3106&Pid=1
Almost drowned by a roo:
Chris Rickard, 49, Arthurs Creek, Vic
Surveying the landscape, I checked for flood damage after a spell of heavy rain. My partner Liz, 40, and I lived on a nine-hectare farm at Arthur's Creek, Vic, and thankfully, everything seemed fine.
Before I headed out to check on the fences and gates, I scanned the paddocks for any kangaroos. Many people think that kangaroos are cute like Skippy, but living on the land, you need to be cautious of them - especially big, powerful males.
If they feel stressed or threatened, they're capable of disembowelling you. Their claws are razor-sharp and they use the nails on their hind legs like weapons when they rear up and attack.
Satisfied there were no roos around, I took my four-year-old heelers, Bucky and Rocky, for a walk. They were my best mates and never far from my side.
'Come on boys, it's time for a run,' I said, opening the gate.
They followed me as I inspected the perimeter fences. But after about 10 minutes, Rocky bolted down the hill.
'Come on mate, come back!' I called out. Rocky was normally obedient but he kept running, barking loudly. Then I saw what he was chasing - a huge, 1.5-metre-tall male kangaroo.
As Rocky cornered him, the roo reared up on his tail, striking out with his back legs.
'No boy!' I cried out in desperation as I grabbed Bucky and ran down the hill.
Being a blue heeler, Rocky was running around the kangaroo, trying to round him up. Panicked, the roo turned and bounded effortlessly over a metre-high fence to the dam at the bottom of our property.
'Thank goodness for that,' I sighed. But before I could grab Rocky he jumped through the fence, hot on the paws of the kangaroo.
'Damn it,' I cursed. I couldn't jump the fence so I ran for the gate. I knew Rocky was in serious danger. I'd heard of kangaroos drowning dogs and was terrified this big roo would kill him.
I made it to the dam's edge and watched the roo jump in. Then Rocky took a flying leap and bellyflopped next to him.
'Come here boy!' I cried, my heart in my mouth. It was like watching a nightmare unfold.
The kangaroo and Rocky thrashed around for a second, then I saw Rocky slip beneath the water. The huge roo put all his weight on his hind legs, holding Rocky under. Air bubbles surfaced as he tried to breathe.
'No!' I screamed. He's drowning him, I thought frantically. If I didn't intervene, Rocky would be a goner.
Without a thought I let go of Bucky and waded into the dam. Bucky looked on from the water's edge, whining in distress.
'Where are you boy?' I called softly to Rocky. He'd stopped moving under the water.
Not wanting to seem a threat to the vicious kangaroo, I squatted down to appear smaller, so he wouldn't attack me.
Wading along, I stayed as far from the kangaroo as possible, running my fingers along the muddy floor of the dam. Finally, I felt a furry body.
'Rocky,' I called out, relieved.
Lifting his lifeless form to the surface, I felt sick to the stomach as I saw his eyes glazed over.
'Stay with me, boy,' I urged.
The kangaroo was behind me, watching as I slowly waded out of the dam to check Rocky was okay. But just as I was retreating, I felt razor-sharp claws slash my forehead. Blood gushed from the wound and into my soaking-wet clothes.
Startled, I tried to get out of the dam but the kangaroo reared up and slashed me across my abdomen. That's how they disembowel you, I thought in horror, feeling the stinging wounds across my body.
I stumbled backwards and fell into the water. Before I knew it, the roo was on top of me. I was still clinging to Rocky as the massive roo's legs pushed my body under water and I gasped for air.
Determined not to give up, I used all my strength to stand up, then elbowed the roo in the throat in a desperate attempt to get away. As he retreated I rushed out of the dam with Rocky still in my arms.
Looking down at my stomach, I realised there was a lot of blood pouring out of the gash.
Just let me make it to the house, I thought, struggling up the bank. With Liz at work and no-one around, if I passed out now I could bleed to death. I couldn't see Bucky, but I didn't have the strength to find him so I stumbled back home.
I placed Rocky down and was relieved to see him start moving as I called my neighbour, Gayle Corr.
'I've just been attacked by a big male roo,' I stammered. 'Do you mind calling an ambulance?' I was worried that I might pass out while waiting to speak to an ambulance officer.
'Yes, of course,' she answered.
Next I called Liz at work. Not wanting to worry her, I told her I had a little cut from a kangaroo.
'It's probably nothing but I'm going to the hospital to get it checked out. If you could come home to find Bucky that would be great,' I finished.
I was taken by ambulance to Austin Hospital and examined by a team of doctors.
'This is a pretty serious wound,' they marvelled, looking at my shredded abdomen. 'If your wound was a centimetre deeper, it could have pierced your abdominal wall.'
Realising just how close I had come to serious injury, I breathed a sigh of relief.
The doctors cleaned my stomach and bandaged the cuts on my head. When Liz arrived at hospital, she found out I'd downplayed the situation.
'Oh my goodness, it's worse than a little cut,' she gasped.
She'd managed to track down Bucky, and he and Rocky were recovering at home.
Later, the surgeons cleaned out my wounds properly and sewed up the gash on my stomach. I was prescribed a strong course of antibiotics, and finally Liz was able to drive me home.
Today, two months since the attack, I'm still recovering and am pretty much housebound. I don't blame the roo for attacking me - he was just a wild animal who felt threatened. But I never plan to get close to one again.
My advice to anyone who ends up near a roo is to walk the other way, because they're lean, mean fighting machines not to be messed with.
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Furry but fearsome
Australian wildlife may look harmless, but many iconic animals are well-equipped to defend themselves. Male roos box and can use their powerful hind legs and sharp nails as weapons, sometimes disembowelling opponents.
Koalas have large, sharp claws and can be aggressive. Wild koalas have been known to growl and bite people if they feel threatened. But the most savage beast is the adult male Tasmanian Devil, which has a strong jaw and sharp teeth, and can easily chomp through human flesh and bone.
Matriarch
