When Kangaroos Attack ! (1 Viewer)

[Chosun Juan]

Buck males are very big, very powerful, very territorial (read randy), and very cranky !



If cornered by dingos or dogs and they are near water, they will stand waist deep to neutralize the (dogs) advantage and seek to drown any canines foolish enough to pursue the matter with their massively powerful arms. As human urbanisation encroaches on their grassy woodland homes, and increased permanent water availability and lush pastures in rangelands and cyclical droughts reduce their natural wariness, contact is becoming more frequent and attacks more common than you would think ! :storm:

I have had several close encounters with big cranky males which I have inadvertently surprised while out walking and birding at dusk ---- scared the livin bejayzus outta me I can tell ya ! :eek!: Having 6ft+ and ~ 200lbs of cranky grunting roo glaring at you a mere bound or two away is not to be recommended ! Their eyesight is either not the best at dusk or they adopt a 'kick the sh*t outta everything first and ask questions later policy. When you hear the baritone grunt that goes with it, you understand where they get the name "Boomer" from ..... it sounds like they have the lung capacity of a big block Chev ! Note to self: perhaps a navy blue sloppy joe is not the best choice of clothing !

I came across this report recently of two ladies attacked while riding pushbikes. http://www.msn.com/en-au/news/austr...ists-in-south-australia/ar-BBtDLmH?li=AAgfLCP
[EDIT] More news coming to hand 1/6/16 - just as well she can laugh about it now - make sure you play the video in the smh report link - very funny! ) :-O
https://au.news.yahoo.com/a/3172625...st-implants-during-attack-in-south-australia/
http://m.smh.com.au/national/womans...ttack-in-south-australia-20160531-gp8gx3.html

Two more other, older reports from Mudgee, NSW:
http://www.mudgeeguardian.com.au/story/2805091/kangaroo-attacks-child-in-mudgee/
http://mobile.abc.net.au/news/2008-07-19/dog-saves-woman-savaged-by-kangaroo/445124

Check out other documented incidents here http://www.amazingaustralia.com.au/animals/kangaroo_attacks.htm

And in case you still think kangaroos are cute and fluffy, check out "Roger"
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/wor...s-back-in-Australia-and-bigger-than-ever.html
https://www.google.com.au/search?q=...hUKEwi119ifg4TNAhUJ2WMKHUFyBBoQ_AUIBigB&dpr=3

And "Dave" https://www.google.com.au/search?q=...oQ_AUIBigB&dpr=3#tbm=isch&q=dave+the+kangaroo

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=kD_yUKB85HM

To my knowledge only one person has ever died in a non-MVA kangaroo attack, but many many more have been hospitalized ..... Lucky ! :eek!:



Chosun :gh:

 

[rosbifs]

Interesting stories - thank you for sharing. At the end of the day this is a wild animal, that is also immensely strong. I don't understand why people think they should treat them as anything otherwise....

 

[hampers]

Thanks Chosen Juan, really interesting. My only comment would be 6ft+, 200lbs plus being scary. I can draw a parallel with 135lbs, 5ft 2" being equally if not more scary and I live with her. Seriously people are prats with wild animals and have strange expectations. I should say not necessarily in this case and an unexpected encounter is probably better than the proverbial ex-lax!

Phil

 

[Chosun Juan]

I was lucky in that none of the 3 encounters I had with big Eastern Greys progressed any further than inadvertent surprise, booming grunts, raised postures and flexed biceps, and a standoff .... there was one in particular with a big ~2m roo where I thought "holy cr*p, this is it, I'm stuffed here, this b*st*rd is gunna go me" :eek!: ..... packin it muchly ! perhaps my involuntary issuing of loud expletives @#^&£%¥! helped identify me as human and not a rival male roo ..... phew!

When walking and birding, especially around dusk I now carry around a big meaty stick and a few rocks just in case - it also gives some meager peace of mind against black, and brown snakes, and swooping maggies and cranky butcherbirds ! I don't know how they'd go against the mythical Black Panther of the area though - 'Gulp'! :eek!:

I recall another report, during a dry spell, where a little old lady was seriously 'bashed up' by a roo, while watering her front lawn on the outskirts of rural town Mudgee, NSW, resulting in her being hospitalized. With an ever increasing 'Suburban fringe', contact is becoming more and more frequent. The amount of good prime ex woodland soil that I have seen concreted over, as small scale pastures become economically unviable on the outskirts of rural towns, would make you cry.

The issue is that a 'mob' of roos will have a dominant 'Alpha' male, the odd up and coming rivals, and several wannabe 'Beta' males - all very hierarchical and sorted by size and fighting. The females are also pretty much constantly pregnant, or in a state of receptive readiness, having the ability to 'suspend' or pause embryonic development depending on seasonal conditions at the time. Out here the seasons don't run like clockwork, and 'dry spells' may last years. Conversely, 'flooding rains' may see the good times last several seasons in a row. The kangaroo is supremely adapted to take advantage of this with multiple stages of pregnancy all at once , and continually, even producing different types of milk to suit.

Hence there is no traditional 'rutting season' as may be with moose, or elk etc, but just continual randiness, fightin' goggles, and lack of sexy time frustration by the lesser males! People are roughly standing roo size, and they seem to readily categorise us as rivals - even in broad daylight. Although roos will generally flee away from man, often times they have matin' and fightin' on their minds and then these things can arc up at virtually any time. :storm:



Whether they are 5ft, 6ft, 2m or more; 70kg, 80kg, 200lb, or more ..... big buck male roos are just about all muscle and powerful sinew. They also have seriously big claws and huge damaging toenails. While the traditional kick to the stomach and disembowelment risk is reasonably widely understood, these things will also rip the sh*tt*r outta you with their powerful arms and paw claws - they seem to target the head quite often - clawing and wrestling :eek!:

This video of "Rags" the kangaroo visiting on morning children's television shows just how powerful they are - and he was pretty much just mock fighting. I am sure that his claws and toenails would have been clipped right back and rounded, or else some serious damage could have ensued.
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=SYaIDupJXcs

When visiting this country and out and about in the countryside or the bush, stay alert, take care to avoid surprise encounters, keep your distance, and look out for the warning signs - heavier set males, 'grass raking', grunting, booming, posturing, searching direct eye contact, closing proximity ..... loud human noises, clapping, shouting, arm waving, backing away etc should help diffuse any random encounters ......

Enjoy! |:d|



Chosun :gh:

 

[Chosun Juan]

"Kangaroo claws man and kills Victorian family’s beloved pet dog".

A 2m Eastern Grey Kangaroo buck has found itself inadvertently trapped in a back yard, and attacked when feeling threatened by dogs and humans trying to intervene. Sadly the family pet was killed, though in retrospect it's probably lucky the injuries to people and other dogs weren't worse .....

http://www.msn.com/en-au/news/austr...et-dog/ar-AAj2rLC?li=AAgfIYZ&ocid=mailsignout


Chosun :gh:

 

[Chosun Juan]

A seven year old girl was attacked by a Roo at a Wyangala Dam recreation area, just metres away from the rest of her family having a New Year's Day get together .... traumatized and injured, but thankfully she survived.

http://www.centralwesterndaily.com.au/story/793373/roo-attacks-girl-at-wyangala/
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/01/03/makayla-mcevoy-australia-kangaroo-attack_n_1180887.html

I haven't posted the other 'man punches roo to save dog" incident as there seems to be something rather fishy and disingenuous about that ...



Chosun :gh:

 

[Chosun Juan]

Templestowe jogger has emergency surgery after horrific roo attack.

"..... I thought he was going to come back and kill me."

http://www.news.com.au/technology/s...k/news-story/5061eb42de117f593e6a5ede68309e78
http://www.geelongadvertiser.com.au...k/news-story/7756a6902efd11badbd6efa857f9ad28

Bit of a heads up - some of the photos of the injuries this 54 year old woman suffered are pretty graphic ..... :eek!:


Chosun :gh:

 

[Farnboro John]

What's that Skippy? You pushed the children down the mine yourself?!!

John

 

[Chosun Juan]

Another report from just before Christmas last year of big buck kangaroo attacking a father who had jumped in between it and his two young daughters to protect them.

Strangely the report also said that the roo had eaten a sausage the girls had thrown at it after becoming scared ....... I can't ever recall hearing about 'meat eating roos' before ?! :eek!:

http://www.heraldsun.com.au/news/br...k/news-story/fbf32cfad0c2f5dc66c85dfd6bf55bc8


Chosun :gh:

 

[Chosun Juan]

What's that Skippy? You pushed the children down the mine yourself?!!

John

John, They do seem to be getting crankier! :eek!:


Chosun :gh:

 

[Chosun Juan]

Another report from late 2015, which I didn't see earlier.

"I was nearly killed by a kangaroo: Adelaide Hills woman Margaret Acton shares her extraordinary story"

http://www.adelaidenow.com.au/news/...y/news-story/153ef2d4764d0515bcd448995317c413

I don't necessarily agree with the 'wildlife experts' that this type of thing is as a result of feeding wild roos ...... this seems pretty standard 'flight or fight' natural behaviour to me, and lines up with what I have observed/ encountered first hand.

Roos /Dogs/ Water is certainly a receipe you don't want to be a part of.


Chosun :gh:

 

[Chosun Juan]

What to do if you encounter a roo

Further to reports about the incident in post#7 is this channel ten report and interview with the lady concerned, and in the article, some advice of what to do if you are attacked by a kangaroo.

http://www.msn.com/en-au/news/austr...ngaroo/ar-AAlWzyK?li=AAgfYrC&ocid=mailsignout

By far the majority of these encounters involve Eastern Grey Kangaroos - big buck males. The increase is likely beyond better reporting, and to do with increased contact because of sprawling suburban fringes into natural woodland and grassland habitats, and maybe increased pressures in the 'wild' from feral and wild dogs. Of concern are the blindside attacks out of the blue with zero warning - quite a few documented on joggers and cyclists ....

In my experience, Warning signs to look out for are a general mood of aggression or territorial patrol - grass raking, 'booming' (grunting), along with a very slow, 'flexed' prop on tail and crouched walk. Of course if there are obvious signs that they have matin' and fightin' on their mind, such as when they have their 'lipstick' out! then distance is recommended.



With a chance surprise encounter, Things really escalate if they give you 'the look' - this is the next step up from the searching stare as they try and focus their eyesight. 'The look' means you have just been identified as a challenger and scheduled for an *ss kickin' ! :eek!: Any further escalation, such as them standing tall, 'chest flexing' and locked on death stare signals instant trouble. I think the advice to remove yourself from the situation and distance yourself ('flight') is preferable where possible ....


Chosun :gh:

 

[A2GG]

Pretty sure I would crap my pants and then pass out.

Maybe a silly question, but would a whistle help here? Or would he just take it from you and strangle you
with it? I have a whistle in my pack in case of bears which I haven't yet come across thankfully. Some say they help and others say they don't. I'm super nervous to come across a bear or coyotes. I startled a Fox once which scared me a bit. But, encountering a Kangaroo like you have would send me into panic which certainly wouldn't help save me. I hope (!) to remain calm and do the things I read one should do if a bear is nearby, but I'm a nervous type and could see myself losing it lol.

 

[pshute]

I've never heard of anyone using a whistle, although people used to attach a whistle thing to the front of their car to warn roos off the road so they don't get run down. No idea if it worked. I suspect driving more slowly might work better.

In the bush, I wouldn't be at all worried about kangaroos. They move away when you approach. I've only ever heard of attacks around towns and picnic areas, etc, where they've become accustomed to people. Don't ever feed them. It's fun for a while, then they start to become insistent, probably with the next innocent people to arrive at that picnic ground.

 

[Chosun Juan]

GG, I just shouted involuntary expletives! @#%^&! :-O

One of the ladies attacked reported that the attack only stopped once she stopped screaming. I've never thought of it in those terms - whether vocalisations (deliberate or involuntary!) inflame or diffuse the situation. Likewise for artificial sounds like a whistle. I have always processed it in my mind that seeking to differentiate yourself from being mistaken for a rival roo might help.

I know that in the 3 serious encounters I've had, the lighting was poor (toward dusk), I was wearing clothing that could have made me look less distinguishable as a human, and quite roo-like (navy blue sloppy joe), and we both surprised each other at close quarters. They were big Alpha males, which pretty much only fear packs of dogs or gunfire. I had the distinct impression every time that I had been misidentified as a rival male. It's probably just as well I wasn't identified as a potential mate 'cause I've seen what those randy b*ggers do to the females ! :eek!:



Once, I was so lucky that a great big lump of wood was laying on top of a mulch pile (for my revegetation seedlings) right at my feet which I instinctively just picked up, slapped into my hand, held it above my head and yelled. Luckily the roo took off. Another time upon springing a big roo about 50ft away I suppose (in hindsight) I was rather foolishly puffing myself up with hands above my head like some sort of Farside grizzly bear cartoon, and booming and grunting deeper (well, trying to and louder than the roo; trying to out-Alpha the Alpha male! - I think I just totally confused it! We both ended up backing away.

By far the Scariest encounter was when I was looking for Falcons, Owls, and Gliders on dusk when I've blundered across a big buck male only 30 ft away chewing some lush grass near the homestead. He lifted his head, stood up 2m tall and gave me 'the look' - I just knew I had been misidentified as a rival male roo. I don't think there's too much thinking that goes on in the roo's brain - it very quickly goes from indecision and trying to work out what you are, to 'fight'. I remember thinking that "Oh no, I'm st*ffed here ..." (or some rather more colourful expression of it! I was pretty much out in the open with only 3/4 kilo of magnesium chassised binocular on my side. With one bound he was less than 10ft away puffed up, massive, and with crazy eyes, and I'm pretty sure the next one was going to punt me into orbit in rapid succession ...... that's when the involuntary expletives were shouted out of my mouth. I was absolutely scared sh*tl*ss, so thank god some sort of autopilot took over. Luckily he turned around and took off. Super super lucky.

Reading the accounts of all of these people attacked and seriously injured, I can count myself as very very lucky indeed. I think once the roo has made that instinctual decision to fight, I don't think there is anything that will stop them. I'm pretty sure I just fluked it.

Even though roos aren't massive in the scheme of dangerous animals, their 6ft-6 (2m), and 200lb+ (90kg+) is all muscle, massively powerful tendons and sinew, wrapped in the toughest leather, with claws and nails directly connected to a thick and powerful skeleton. The leather skin is so tough it is roundly favoured and used by Moto GP riders as the toughest, lightest, most flexible and strongest available.



We have some things in this country, such as Roos, 9 out of 10 of the world's deadliest snakes, etc that can make birding, and walking around in the wilderness a bit dodgy at times, but really, nothing compared to what folk in the rest of the world deal with .....

I could not even imagine hiking in the US with Cougars, Wolves, and Bears - that must be not very relaxing at all !! :eek!: . Hats off to you dealing with that sort of stuff ! :girl:


Chosun :gh:

 

[Chosun Juan]

Serious weaponry: those central toenails are connected to a solid foot bone leveraged by the thickest tendons and massive thigh muscles. They are effectively like a medieval jousting lance, with formidable reach and penetration offered by balancing on their thick tails, which easily places the potential blow at stomach /chest level. With nothing like the thick leather protection and musculature of a rival roo, an on target blow would see you opened up like a can of sardines. Hence the advice by the experts not to try and go toe to toe with these things. If you are cornered without viable retreat, into a fight, try and out-manoeuvre them sideways. Good luck ! By far the best policy though is retreat and avoidance of conflict. :t:

I also have more than a passing suspicion that they use their claws, powerful arms and chest to not only try and grip your head in a headlock, but to lacerate head, face, and even eyes too.


Apparently taking their photos without permission is not a good idea either ! :-O


Chosun :gh:

 

[Chosun Juan]

I've never heard of anyone using a whistle, although people used to attach a whistle thing to the front of their car to warn roos off the road so they don't get run down. No idea if it worked. I suspect driving more slowly might work better.

In the bush, I wouldn't be at all worried about kangaroos. They move away when you approach. I've only ever heard of attacks around towns and picnic areas, etc, where they've become accustomed to people. Don't ever feed them. It's fun for a while, then they start to become insistent, probably with the next innocent people to arrive at that picnic ground.

I agree that roos that have been fed could show elevated levels of aggression, but I think conflict goes far beyond that.

It is largely territorial/pecking order related. This is exacerbated by 'edge effects' - the fractally increasing distance of roo/man interface due to suburban sprawl (particularly in semi-rural areas). It can also be compounded by harsh seasonal conditions which drive desperate roos into habited areas with lush watered lawns, full ponds and dams etc.

I think low lighting also plays a key part - even in natural bushland. Mostly yes, they do hop away - but align that perfect storm of big cranky buck males, poorer eyesight, maybe a lush territory with plentiful willing females, surprise encounters, and trouble can easily brew .....

I honestly have no idea where their dislike of joggers and cyclists comes from though ..... :h?:


Chosun :gh:

 

[A2GG]

I could not even imagine hiking in the US with Cougars, Wolves, and Bears - that must be not very relaxing at all !! :eek!: . Hats off to you dealing with that sort of stuff ! :girl:


Chosun :gh:

Thankfully, I don't have to deal with cougars or wolves. Where I go bird watching I don't even see bears or coyotes. There are a few spots where there is the potential to see a Black Bear or Coyote, but I haven't run into any yet.

It's pretty safe where I go birding. I've heard of reports of Coyote at one spot I frequently go to and Bear at another. One woman coming off a trail at one spot saw a Bear, so I made sure not to go in too deep there.
The only time a Black Bear would potentially attack is if you get between the parent and cubs - then you're in trouble. But, I have also heard if you have no option but to fight back they could get scared and run away - not so with Grizzlies (which are not found in my region)...Grizzlies will just kill you.

I read that some of the tactics to avoid a Black Bear confrontation don't work so well with Grizzlies.
With Black Bear you need to just back slowly away , make some noise so it knows you're there and don't make eye contact. If it bluff attacks then you can yell and raise your arms and hope it goes away.

I only saw a Black Bear once in PA when I was a teen. The Bear was walking on the side of the little mountain across from this nice stream and he/she just ignored me.

I read about packs of Coyotes running people down and some people getting away somehow. That scenario is really frightening. I think spotting a Mountain Lion (Cougar) even from a good distance would still scare the heck out of me. I'd be turning back for sure and getting the heck out of there ASAP.

It would be nice to witness a Bear, Coyote or Mountain Lion from a very good (safe) distance...just to have a glimpse these amazing animals would be really cool.
occasionally, I see Foxes out. They usually see me first and when I see them they are already locked onto me staring back.

Attached is a curious fox cub getting close to me at the beginning of a trail. The mom was close by watching. I stayed still and took the pick with my phone. This was right near the stone parking lot where I was sitting on a bench before the trail. I spotted two cubs playing and I saw the mom watch me sit down from a distance. I stayed still and never made eye contact. The cub walked away after a couple sniffs and the family moved on.

 

[Chosun Juan]

I could not even imagine hiking in the US with Cougars, Wolves, and Bears - that must be not very relaxing at all !! *eek!* . Hats off to you dealing with that sort of stuff ! *girl*


Chosun

Thankfully, I don't have to deal with cougars or wolves. Where I go bird watching I don't even see bears or coyotes. There are a few spots where there is the potential to see a Black Bear or Coyote, but I haven't run into any yet.

It's pretty safe where I go birding. I've heard of reports of Coyote at one spot I frequently go to and Bear at another. One woman coming off a trail at one spot saw a Bear, so I made sure not to go in too deep there.
The only time a Black Bear would potentially attack is if you get between the parent and cubs - then you're in trouble. But, I have also heard if you have no option but to fight back they could get scared and run away - not so with Grizzlies (which are not found in my region)...Grizzlies will just kill you.

I read that some of the tactics to avoid a Black Bear confrontation don't work so well with Grizzlies.
With Black Bear you need to just back slowly away , make some noise so it knows you're there and don't make eye contact. If it bluff attacks then you can yell and raise your arms and hope it goes away.

I only saw a Black Bear once in PA when I was a teen. The Bear was walking on the side of the little mountain across from this nice stream and he/she just ignored me.

I read about packs of Coyotes running people down and some people getting away somehow. That scenario is really frightening. I think spotting a Mountain Lion (Cougar) even from a good distance would still scare the heck out of me. I'd be turning back for sure and getting the heck out of there ASAP.

It would be nice to witness a Bear, Coyote or Mountain Lion from a very good (safe) distance...just to have a glimpse these amazing animals would be really cool.
occasionally, I see Foxes out. They usually see me first and when I see them they are already locked onto me staring back.

Attached is a curious fox cub getting close to me at the beginning of a trail. The mom was close by watching. I stayed still and took the pick with my phone. This was right near the stone parking lot where I was sitting on a bench before the trail. I spotted two cubs playing and I saw the mom watch me sit down from a distance. I stayed still and never made eye contact. The cub walked away after a couple sniffs and the family moved on.

GG,

I'm surprised you don't go birding with a .44Magnum strapped to your side! :eek!: America has so much beautiful scenery, and so many things that can just rip you to shreds! :gn:
The scant information we get over here about your big biteys says that if you are attacked by a Grizzly you should just play dead, but if you are attacked by a Black Bear then you should fight like a b*st*rd !

I think the number one danger out here (south of the tropics - where it is Crocs), would be snakes. The Black ones have the annoying habit of not moving until you just about tread on them - thankfully, they instinctually seek to move away from you, and so far, luckily that's been the case. The Browns though are much more aggressive, and will often deliberately head towards you and 'go you' - at high speed ! :eek!: This freaks me out so that if it is snake season - sort of mid spring on, I will carry a big stick and periodically bang it on the ground to let them know I'm coming - though I don't think this exactly puts the birds at ease or encourages them to stay put. I'm imagining that you might do something like that for bears?

If it is any consolation, our Dingoes are Coyote sized, and I really am not too concerned by them, especially after I saw a documentary once where 2 Wedge-tailed Eagles hunted and despatched a Dingo! I wonder if your Golden Eagles do the same thing? What is of more concern though is all the feral dogs that interbreed with the Dingoes which are now 20% bigger, and form larger packs - I heard a pack howling once when I was way out in the mountains .... I turned around and trekked back to the car pronto!

I don't tend to go on solo exploratory treks way into uncharted wilds any more after I saw a set of unidentified tracks once - I immediately had images of the mythical Black Panther stalking me (there used to be videos of them on YouTube - which now seem to have disappeared! :eek!: ) .... talk about heart pounding adrenaline! I immediately ripped out the biggest, thickest branch that I could - I spent the next couple of hours hi-tailing it out of there - turning around that often I was like a puppy chasing its tail!

I've had a Leopard jump on my grass hut roof once, and while trekking on foot, I've heard a Tiger roar just on the other side of some stupidly high vegetation which scattered the deer in the jungle like a farmer lifting a bit of tin in a mouse plague! Both times scared the bejaysus out of me! :eek!: I swore to myself that I'd never put myself in the position of being a prey animal again, so I don't know how I'd go in the US - but I'd love to see Big Cats in the wild .... from a very safe distance! I think Cougars are just awesomely cool - beautiful animals

While Roos are a concern, so is the gun lobby that has pushed to allow HunTing in our National Parks. Our stupid politicians didn't even see fit to separate the public with allocated weekends. I hope it's not just a matter of time before an innocent person is shot by some yobbo HunTer ....... :-C :storm:



I really don't know what's going on with the Roos here lately - it's like some sort of Zombie Roo Apocalypse is coming! :eek!:

Here are some reports recently of big bucks bashing on windows, and earlier, squaring up to their own reflections!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=46zekydKbb4
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=geL1QGlXaCA

This video shows just how quick, manoeuvrable and powerful they are - "Killer Willard" clocks both his handlers in less than a second from ~6ft away ....
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KB_CYobIlEg

This short video is from one of my favourite gentlemen in the world - Sir David Attenborough ..... very informative.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WCcLMNcWZOc

Still don't think I'd swap ya for Bears, Cougars, and Wolves though ..... safe birding and happy trails!


Chosun :gh:

P.S. Foxes are a devastating devastating feral over here, so while the cubs are cute and fluffy, sorry, but Foxes are one thing that I don't mind HunTers turning into fur pelts ....
Thank goodness our Wedge-tailed Eagles have learnt to hunt them - in some areas they make up over 10% of the diet .....

 

[A2GG]

Tigers, Leopards, Kangaroos, aggressive snakes - I really think where you go bird watching is much more dangerous.

I don't live out in the middle of the wilderness and where I live in NJ (the burbs) is so fragmented and crawling with humans. The odds of encountering an aggressive Bear or pack of Coyotes is very low.
I do have a friend who sent me pics last year of a Mountain Lion just walking through her backyard and she gets Bears occasionally going to the bird feeders. If she leaves anything out at night that could attract Bears, they will come. She is in the real woods and wild in upstate NY. It's quite a difference from where I live in the burbs of NJ.

I think having Kanagroos come through a suburban neighborhood (like in your photo) would be fascinating , but also quite intimidating. We have White-tailed Deer living in our neighborhoods, but they pose no threat. They are very rarely Bucks. They are way more scared of humans , but there is the danger of car accidents.
I had a Doe run into the side of my while driving (came out of nowhere). It did some damage, but I was way more worried about her. She ran into small patch of woods near a park and disappeared...I felt terrible she had to suffer like that. I saw a guy run into a fawn who obviously had broken bones. The driver had a look of horror and sadness watching the fawn limp away. I called the cops to have the Deer put down. They live on tiny patches of woods. It's so fragmented where I live...just too many people.

Packs: I think seeing a single Coyote wouldn't frighten me too much, but a pack is something to be very concerned about and any pack whether it be Dingoes or Coyotes is frightening !

I have only come across Snakes a few times and both were harmless Garters and the other non-venomous as well.

I have to say I think I am more afraid of human drifters and weirdos. I go bird watching alone the majority of the time and when I am out there maybe a mile or so from my car in the middle of the woods I do worry about running into scary humans. I had a couple of weird incidents; One was a guy who came out of nowhere. I sensed someone and he was next to me and started talking. Thankfully, I was near the parking lot but not another sole around. I got a creep vibe from him right from the start. He made small talk and then asked me about my car and was talking about his and then popped the trunk and said..."hey look at the size of this trunk...it's huge". I did not move as he walked over to the back of his car. He was saying..."come on over and have a look at this trunk". I walked away and got in my car.
Another incident was a drifter who was just coming onto a trail while I was getting off of it (thank god), but he gave me a creepy look and I thought oh wow...that would suck being way out there and coming across this one.

Be careful out there !