Man Killed By Pet Kangaroo In Australia In First Fatal Attack 80 Years

A 77-year-old Australian man died on Sunday from injuries sustained from a wild kangaroo he had been keeping as a pet.

Kangaroo attacks are surprisingly rare given how strong they seem, and the last known deadly attack happened back in 1936.

He was found by a relative and died later at the scene before he could be transported to the hospital. Australian police had to shoot the animal dead because it was reportedly “posing an ongoing threat to emergency responders.”

It hasn’t been confirmed whether he was actually killed by the kangaroo, as a coroner’s report is still incoming, but it would be strange if it were anything else at this point.

It also wasn’t confirmed whether or not he had been keeping the animal as a pet, and police said they didn’t have information about whether or not he had a special permit for it.

In general, however, male kangaroos tend to become extremely aggressive in captivity, and should only be cared for briefly by professionals before rehabilitation if found injured.

Kangaroos are pretty aggressive towards each other in mating or territorial disputes, and videos of the animals fighting often gain traction online due to the fascination surrounding these unusual creatures.