A former Australian police officer, Mick Moloney, had an unexpected encounter while walking his dogs near a river.
His tranquil walk next to Victoria’s Murray River quickly turned into a harrowing experience when an agitated kangaroo snatched one of his pets and attempted to drown it.
Moloney, a resident of Mildura, noticed that one of his dogs named Hutchy had gone missing during their stroll along the river on Sunday.
He had previously observed that his dogs were strangely quiet as they ambled along the Murray’s edge, noting that they’re usually frolicking in the water.
Australian Man Punches Kangaroo To Save Dog
Curiosity piqued, Moloney closely examined the river, unraveling the unsettling reason behind his dogs’ unusual behavior.
There he spotted a kangaroo, arms submerged in the water, staring directly at him like it wasn’t actively trying to kill another animal.
Suddenly, Hutchy emerged from the water, gasping for air, water flowing from his mouth, and crying out in distress. Shocked, Moloney couldn’t help but exclaim, “Are you kidding me?”
Initially Moloney attempted to frighten the kangaroo away, but quickly realized that more proactive measures were required.
Without worry for his own safety, the former cop, who spend his career protecting others, waded through the water and confronted the towering marsupial head-on.
Moloney also managed to capture the whole ordeal on his smartphone camera—a video that has since gone viral.
Man Punches Kangaroo To Save Dog And Captures The Encounter On Video
In the footage, the kangaroo gripped Hutchy tightly as Mooney approached it and refused to let go.
Like the animal would understand English, he demanded the marsupial let his dog go, then warned the creature that he was “going to punch your f–king head in.”
In an attempt to free Hutchy, Moloney took a swing at the kangaroo. Not to be outmatched, the marsupial swung back with its long claws bared.
The strike sent the phone into the water, which blacked out the footage, but sounds of the scuffle continued.
Mooney managed to grab his phone from the river and reach the waters edge with Hutchy safely.
The video ends with the kangaroo sneering at the camera from the water and Mooney’s incredulous laughter at the bizarre incident.
Though Moloney incurred a few scratches in the skirmish, with his forearm throbbing for the rest of the day, he remained thankful that Hutchy emerged unharmed.
Despite the traumatic ordeal, Moloney stated that he had no intention of altering his regular walking route, remarking, “It’s our favorite walking spot.”
Man Punches Kanagroo To Save Dog In 2016
Mooney’s not the only one who sucker-punched a roo to rescue a pooch. Australian zookeeper Greig Tonkins went viral in 2016 for brawling with a kangaroo that attacked his dog during a hunting trip.
Tonkins and his friends were out hunting wild pigs in the bush, when a kangaroo put his dog in a headlock.
He rushed over to help, squared up with the marsupial, and jabbed the animal in its face. The hit sent the kangaroo scampering away.
Tonkins was slammed by PETA for the move, but the zookeeper, who works with elephants at his day job, said that he holds no ill will towards the species.
In 2019, he shared a social media post of himself lounging around with three kangaroos. “Everyone knows how much I love them… that’s the funny thing about the haters, I’ve raised more joeys than them,” he wrote.
“Everyone who knows me knows what I’ve always been like with animals even though I hunt,” Tonkins continued. “Look at the pics, they don’t lie.”
