'Pinned him down': Boy needed surgery after brutal kangaroo attack

A mother has described how her 12-year-old son was pinned down and brutally attacked by a large kangaroo on their property on the edge of Melbourne.

Sarah Doherty was getting her children ready for school on Monday, with Phoenix, 12, heading outside.

As is common in their area - aptly named Kangaroo Ground, 26km north-east of Melbourne in Nillumbik - a large mob of kangaroos was around.

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And while the rest of the group of animals hopped away, one of the males, which Phoenix guesses was over 1.8m tall, went for him.

He tried to flee but the creature unleashed a terrifying attack which has left him traumatised, his mother said.

"He was running and he said he could hear it behind him," Doherty, a teacher, said.

"He said he fell over and the kangaroo was on top of him clawing, scratching, kicking.

'It pinned him down. He reckons it was going on about two minutes.

"He said, 'I just got into a ball'. He was screaming out."

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While Doherty was inside, the family's neighbour heard his cries and the kangaroo hopped away as he approached.

The neighbour called an ambulance and took him home, before Phoenix was rushed to Austin Hospital in Melbourne.

He needed surgery on his head and leg after the frightening attack, with hospital staff shocked by what had happened.

He had plastic surgery to repair the wound on his thigh, which went down to the muscle.

He also had to have his head wound cleaned under general anaesthetic because it was so deep.

It has now been glued together.

He is also covered with bruises and scratches, his mother said.

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She said he's doing okay, adding he is a "a tough cookie".

"I don't think I've ever heard of a child get attacked by a kangaroo," Doherty said.

"We always say be careful around them, but our neighbour had even said he had yelled at it the other day and it didn't run away.

"If the neighbour hadn't have called out, who knows what would have happened?"

Phoenix needed a tetanus injection and antibiotics and will need to return to hospital for further checks and to have his stitches removed.

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Kangaroo attacks are rare

In an Australian study over 10 years, only 40 attacks on humans were reported.

It noted the rate of kangaroo-related injuries has increased, which was "attributed to changes in its natural habitat from fires and urbanisation".

A 77-year-old farmer died after a kangaroo attack in 2022

It was thought to be the first kangaroo attack-related death since the 1930s.

Experts at the time reminded Australians that the creatures are wild animals, ruled by instinct.

"They can cause serious injury. Their sharp claws can make deep cuts, and their powerful kicks can cause severe bruising and internal injuries," Graeme Coulson from Melbourne University said.

If a kangaroo tries to attack, the advice is to curl into a ball and try and protect your head while shouting for help, if you can't get away.

There are almost 2.5 million kangaroos in Victoria, of three different breeds, according to the latest figures.

While protected, they can be managed or culled, including by farmers.

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