- Kerry was picking oranges in her backyard when she was suddenly attacked by a kangaroo
- The kangaroo ripped through her jacket and clawed her back and arm, leaving her covered in cuts and bruises
- Kerry received treatment in hospital and now shares her story to warn others about getting too close to wild kangaroos
Here Kerry Muller, 56, from Cranbourne, Vic, tells her story in her own words
Driving through my front gate, I couldn’t wait to put my feet up with a cuppa.
I worked a busy job in the mental health ward at a hospital, so it could be draining.
But, living on a semi-rural property, I was lucky to be surrounded by so much beautiful nature.
Due to recent developments of big estates in the area, a mob of 10 kangaroos and their joeys sometimes ventured onto our farmland.
I’d once even spotted a joey pop out of its mother’s pouch just metres from my living room window.
Home and feeling peckish, I headed out to my backyard to pick some oranges from the tree to snack on before dinner.
Heading towards the tree 10 metres from my house, I spotted a large, grey kangaroo basking in the sun about six metres to my left.
I made sure to give him lots of space on my way over to the oranges.
Standing at five-feet tall, this particular male roo had been wandering around the property on and off for the last six months.
So when he got up and turned in the opposite direction, I assumed he was moving on.
I saw his ears were flicking back and forth.
He’s just giving me some space, I thought.
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Picking an orange from a lower branch, I suddenly saw claws coming straight at me.
The roo was attacking me!
Shocked, I managed to block a few of his strikes with my right arm before turning away from him.
Is this really happening? I panicked.
Desperate to protect myself, I attempted to dive into a bush three metres away, but I bounced right back as it was too dense.
Hunched over in a ball, my back was exposed and the roo was repeatedly clawing at me down the length of my jacket.
Ripping through my red puffer, fluff flying out, within seconds the buck had managed to rip through the layers and was now clawing at my flesh.
As he showed no signs of stopping, I started to panic.
He’s going to kill me if I don’t do something,I realised.
Screaming like my life depended on it, I prayed that it’d either scare off the roo, or someone would come to my rescue.
Then a miracle happened.
The kangaroo suddenly turned away and bounded off, disappearing into the distance.
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Lifting my head out from beneath my arms, I scoped the area quickly before making a run for the house and shutting the door quickly behind me.
Shaking violently, I checked myself over.
My bloodsoaked clothes were in shreds and my right arm had begun to bruise.
I’d been mauled by the animal.
Hearing the commotion from across the paddock, my partially deaf neighbour came running over.
‘Is everything okay?’ he asked, confused.
‘The roo attacked me,’ I stuttered.
Covered in cuts and bruises, I rang my son who came and drove me to hospital.
‘We’ve never had a roo-attack patient,’ the receptionist admitted.
Wheeling me away, they did X-rays and the results confirmed I’d had a lucky escape.
‘I don’t know how your arm didn’t break,’ the doctor said.
Giving me the all-clear for any breaks, docs rushed out the cuts, dressed my wounds and sent me home with painkillers.
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With the adrenaline wearing off later that night, the reality of my scary encounter started to set in.
What if the roo didn’t stop? I wondered.
Terrified at the thought of what could’ve been I thanked my lucky stars it wasn’t a lot worse.
Returning to work one week later, I spoke to a trauma counsellor about the sudden attack.
She said I needed to be patient with myself while navigating the trauma.
When I reported the encounter, rangers wanted to remove and destroy the kangaroo that attacked me, but I didn’t have the heart.
Instead, when the male roo returned, some men from neighbouring farms helped scare him off and he hasn’t been back since.
Showing my friends and family my battle scars, which were black and blue, they were shocked.
They couldn’t imagine how I’d fought off a roo.
‘I just can’t believe it!’ my boss said.
I was even on the local news to share my story as a warning to others.
Stepping outside my front door now, I am extra cautious of my surroundings and check for kangaroos every step of the way.
A few months after the attack, I was camping with some friends.
Chatting over the camp fire with some people we met, I noticed one of the ladies staring at me.
‘You seem so familiar. I just can’t put my finger on it,’ she said.
Moments later she giggled, ‘You’re the kangaroo lady from the telly!’
Now every time I see people getting close to roos, I’m quick to share my story with them.
Having wildlife on the fringes of the city is a beautiful thing and I’m proud to share my home with them.
But you never know when a roo might turn on you!
