Posted on 10/18/2023 1:05:47 PM PDT by Red Badger
Mick Moloney says a kangaroo got his dog Hatchi into a headlock.(TikTok)
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Of all the things that could interrupt a peaceful morning walk, how likely is it that you'd find a "jacked" kangaroo with your dog in a "headlock"?
Mildura resident Mick Moloney was stretching by a log near the Murray River at the weekend when he noticed one of his Akitas, Hatchi, was missing.
"I looked in [towards the river] and behind these reeds I could just see this massive kangaroo … standing there with his arms actually in the water just staring at me," he told ABC Radio Melbourne.
"After about 15 seconds, Hatchi came up and he was in a headlock with this kangaroo.
"Water was just gushing out of his mouth and he yelped quite badly."
Mr Moloney said he made a loud noise thinking the kangaroo would get scared and let go of his dog, but that did not happen.
"I thought, alright, I got to get in there," he said.
The kangaroo refused to release Hatchi until Mick Moloney entered the water to confront it.(TikTok)
But he wasn't without reservations, looking at the size of the kangaroo.
"The muscles on this thing, I was like 'this thing's just got out of jail' or something … it was jacked," he said.
Before getting in the murky water, Mr Moloney took out his phone to record what was happening.
"I thought, I've got to video this, because no-one is going to believe this," he said.
Now, the footage has gone viral with millions of views across social media.
Mr Moloney said he had "a bit of a tussle in the water" with the kangaroo.
"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.
"I got my dog back, that's the main thing."
Wildlife Victoria's CEO Lisa Palma said it was likely the dog had chased the kangaroo, which then entered the waterway in an attempt to escape.
"The normal response of a kangaroo when chased by a perceived predator is to flee in fright," Ms Palma said.
"Kangaroos are wild animals and as such will view human beings, and dogs, as predators."
Ms Palma encouraged dog owners to keep their pets on a lead in areas where kangaroos were known to frequent.
"If they are off-lead, [ensure] that they are responsive to your command if a situation such as this arises," she said.
People shouldn't approach kangaroos and Ms Palma said Wildlife Victoria's Emergency Response Service operated 24/7 and could provide expert advice over the phone or dispatch an experienced volunteer to assist.
Dog doing well after ordeal
Mr Moloney said Hatchi was doing well, and thought he must have cornered the kangaroo on the edge of the bank before the marsupial dragged the dog underwater.
He said he and his dogs would continue to use the same walking track along the riverbank on their walks.
"I can't not go that way, cause I don't want the roos thinking that we're scared," he said.
Mick Moloney managed to free his dog by grappling with the rogue roo.(TikTok)
Mr Moloney posted the video to his Facebook page where it "went nuts" and was shared more than 300 times.
The mixed martial arts and Brazilian jujitsu teacher said people had found humour in the situation.
"I'm getting a lot of people sending me messages [asking] 'what are we doing now, roo-jitsu?'," he said.
Moloney said he loves animals and "wasn't trying to be cruel".
"My tussling with roo days are pretty much done though, 'cause that thing was strong," he said.
"Let's just call it a draw."
He should have shot the ‘roo.
Oh, forgot.
I read it somewhere, that a kangaroo is a deer that’s been to prison.
The Aussies have the weirdest animals. Rolf Harris even sang a song about it.
Mike Tyson in his Halloween costume.
Not the first reported case, apparently. In 2009:
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/kangaroo-slashes-man-trying-to-save-dog/
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