Man Killed In Rare Fatal Kangaroo Attack

An Australian man believed to have kept a wild kangaroo as a pet was killed in a rare fatal attack by the animal, marking the first incident of a kangaroo killing a human in the country since 1936, police announced Tuesday (September 13) via the Associated Press.

The 77-year-old man was found by a relative with "serious injuries" on his property in Redmond on Sunday (September 11) and believed to have been attacked by the kangaroo earlier in the day.

Police shot and killed the marsupial after it was blocking paramedics from reaching the man.

“The kangaroo was posing an ongoing threat to emergency responders,” the statement said via the AP.

The man was pronounced dead at the scene. A coroner will record an official cause to death with information provided by a police report.

Australia has legal restrictions on humans keeping native fauna as pets and the police media office said it couldn't confirm whether the man had a permit for the kangaroo prior to his death.

Authorities rarely issue permits for humans to keep kangaroos as pets in Western Australia, according to Tanya Irwin, who takes care of the species at the Native Animal Rescue service in Perth.

“This looks like it was an adult male and they become quite aggressive and they don’t do well in captivity,” Irwin said.

“We don’t know what the situation was; If he was in pain or why he was being kept in captivity and unfortunately ... they’re not a cute animal, they’re a wild animal,” she added.