Australian man squares up to 'monster' kangaroo trying to drown pet dog

A routine morning walk for one man and his pet dogs near the Murray River in Mildura, Victoria took a pretty wild turn when an encounter with a "monster" kangaroo saw him squaring up to the wild animal attempting to drown his pet.

Former police officer Mick Moloney was reportedly stretching by a log when he noticed that one of his Akitas, Hatchi, was nowhere to be found, according to the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC).

His other dogs were also acting strangely and shying away from the river, unlike their usual routine of playing in the water, reported the New York Post.

Moloney then looked towards the river, where he saw an approximately two-metres tall kangaroo with its arms below the surface.

"Hatchi came up gasping for air, water spilling out of his mouth and screaming his head off," he recalled. "I was like, 'are you kidding me?'"

Maloney had attempted to scare the kangaroo into letting go of Hatchi by making a loud noise, but to no avail.

Determined to rescue his pet dog, he decided to confront the massive animal despite his slight apprehension about its size.

"The muscles on this thing, I was like 'this thing's just got out of jail' or something … it was jacked," he told ABC Radio Melbourne.

His fight against the animal was documented in a viral video posted to Facebook last Sunday (Oct 15), where he cautioned: "Never punch a roo in the mouth, it freakin hurts.

"It grabbed me and tried to drown me too."

The 32-second-long video begins with him approaching the burly kangaroo which has his dog in a tight grasp in the river.

"I'm going to punch your f****** head in," he warns. "Let go of my dog."

The situation quickly escalates when Moloney swings at the animal, which momentarily lurches back and releases the dog. 

It then lunges forward and strikes back, as the video descends into darkness as sounds of their scuffle continue before Moloney recovers his phone, showing the hulking animal staring at him.

He chances another water splash at the animal, before quickly escaping to the riverbank where his dog was waiting safely.

"The kangaroo basically looked like it was about to kick the legs out at me and I splashed some water in its face and tried to take off and it had another go at me as I was leaving," said Moloney, reported ABC.

"I got my dog back, that's the main thing."

 According to the New York Post, Moloney sustained a few scratches from the tussle. 

“My forearm was killing me for most of the day," he recounted.

Should not approach kangaroos: Wildlife Victoria

Wildlife Victoria's CEO Lisa Palma said Moloney's dog had likely chased the kangaroo, which entered the waterway to escape, reported the ABC.

"The normal response of a kangaroo when chased by a perceived predator is to flee in fright," Palma explained.

"Kangaroos are wild animals and as such will view human beings, and dogs, as predators."

If the public encounters a kangaroo, they should not approach it and contact the Wildlife Victoria's Emergency Response Service who can provide expert advice over the phone or dispatch an experienced volunteer to assist.

The City of Whittlesea, a town in Victoria, also states in its FAQ that one should not walk directly towards a kangaroo, and should not go near aggressive kangaroos.

Additionally, they should not allow their dogs to approach a kangaroo as the animals will vigorously defend themselves against dogs, which may draw one into a dangerous situation.

ALSO READ: Sleeping family stunned as kangaroo smashes through house window in Australia

lim.kewei@asiaone.com