Sat Jul 19, 4:07 AM ET
SYDNEY, Australia - An elderly woman was attacked by a large kangaroo on a farm in Australia and was lucky to be alive after a pet dog leapt to her aid, her son said Saturday.
The 6-foot-5-inch kangaroo lunged without warning at 65-year-old Rosemary Neal as she went to check on some horses in a paddock on the property near Mudgee, 160 miles northwest of Sydney on Friday, son Darren Neal said.
The kangaroo "just jumped up and launched straight at her," Darren Neal said. "He hit her once and she just dropped and rolled. My dog heard her screaming and bolted down and chased him off.
"It wasn't for the dog she'd probably be dead."
Rosemary Neal was hospitalized for for deep cuts to her face, hands and back and a concussion, he said.
Kangaroos are widespread across Australia and there are dozens of species in the family, ranging from tiny, 17-ounce potoroos to Red Kangaroos, the world's largest marsupial that can grow past 6 feet tall and weigh more than 200 pounds.
Most species are not considered aggressive toward humans, and attacks are extremely rare. But males fight each other for mates, rearing up on their tails to scratch at the soft belly flesh of their rivals with the powerful legs they more commenly use for their trademark leaps.
Darren Neal said mobs of kangaroos had become common on their farm and his mother thought nothing of walking through them in the paddock. Usually, they just jump away.
"My mum is 65 years old and about five-and-a-half foot," he said. "Her whole body is sore where she has dropped to the ground."
Problems I have with this article:
- The AP misspelled the word "commonly" - did you catch that?
- A 65-year-old woman is not elderly. My mother, quickly approaching 66 this year, would shoot you where you stand if you even suggested such a thing.
- Facial scratches and a concussion are not life threatening.
- The kangaroo "just jumped up and launched straight at her," Darren Neal said. Well, which is it? Did the kangaroo jump up, or launch straight? That's two different directions.
- The article notes that attacks are extremely rare and gives only as an example the idea of multiple males fighting one another. That was clearly not the case in this instance. Sounds like Ms. Elderly got too close to a wild animal and freaked it out. Any repercussion to her and her family's casual regard for approaching wild animals is likely deserved. They may be cute, but they're wild animals.
- What does being "five-and-a-half foot" tall have to do with the price of tea in China? That's about my height. It's not exactly qualification for midget status. In fact, that only puts the woman at a foot shorter than the kangaroo supposedly was.
- Rah rah for Lassie. From the description of the woman's activities and where she was on the farm, the dog would have had a bit of a run to catch up with Ms. Elderly. So bully for him that he managed to "chase off" a kangaroo that was likely already hopping off. Because if Lassie had any distance at all to cover, and if the kangaroo was seriously attacking Ms. Elderly, she'd have suffered more than just a facial scratch and concussion...which injuries are more likely from her falling over than being attacked in the first place!
- "Mobs" of kangaroos? Picture me laughing. Do they have guns and stocking caps? Ski masks? Are they demanding equal rights?
- Maybe it's the "mob" that managed to file the requisite paperwork to trademark their leaps? I'm relieved to hear that their leaps are not "patent pending." Trademarked sound much more settled and official.
- "It wasn't for the dog she'd probably be dead." Oh, get a grip. You are apparently as prone to hysteria as your mother. Grab a Fosters ("Australian for beer") and sit down before you incite the "mob" to further action.
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