A 77-year-old Australian man was killed by his pet kangaroo over the weekend. Peter Eades, a local alpaca breeder in Redmond, Western Australia, was found by a family member who saw he had suffered “serious injuries” on Sunday, September 11 after being attacked by a 3-year-old kangaroo. However, paramedics struggled to treat Eades because of the animal.
🚨Redmond,Southwest Australia: Kangaroo Attacks
and Kills it’s 77 y/o Male Owner he was keeping as a
Pet on his Property. First Responders were held back
by the Aggressive Kangaroo & Police had to Shoot and
Kill it to get to the Property Owner. Kangaroos are strong/
muscular🦘🚨 pic.twitter.com/JwQdRrKDsH— “Robin Dale”🕊(CelticðŸ€Warrior)USA🇺🇸 Ireland🇮🇪 (@CelticDale) September 13, 2022
- The kangaroo refused to let the man get help. According to authorities, the kangaroo stood guard over Eades’ body, preventing rescue workers from getting to the man and treating him.
- Eventually, the kangaroo had to be shot. A Western Australia Police spokesperson told 9News: “The attending officers were required to euthanize the kangaroo by firearm.” However, it was too little, too late for Eades.
- Eades succumbed to his injuries. Despite the best efforts of the rescue team, Eades’ injuries were too severe and he died at the scene. A report on Eades’ death is due to be handed to the coroner but no details about the injuries that led to his death have been confirmed.
- This is the first fatal kangaroo attack in more than 80 years. The last one happened in 1936 in New South Wales. According to kangaroo behavioral expert Graeme Coulson, “The problem with kangaroos and people is we’re both upright animals, we stand on our two feet, and an upright stance like that is a challenge to the male kangaroo. They don’t distinguish between people and other kangaroos … and that gets particularly risky when the male grows and becomes bigger and stronger, and then you can have problems like this.”
