Thread: Shark attacks kangaroo

This is weird with a capital "W".

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11Dec07
A shark has attacked a kangaroo at Torquay, witnesses say.

A shark has attacked a kangaroo at Torquay, witnesses say.

A GROVEDALE man says he was amazed to see a shark attack a kangaroo at Torquay on Saturday afternoon.
The man, Daniel Hurst, said he saw a two or three-metre long shark leapt out of the water and attacked the unfortunate roo as it paddled out to sea.


``The shark came right out of the water,'' he said yesterday.

``It flipped onto its side.

``I didn't see the kangaroo after that.''

Mr Hurst said he first spotted the roo when it hopped out of scrub and down to the beach where he was walking his dog at about 5pm on Saturday.

He said the kangaroo entered the water and started swimming out to sea, making slow progress.

It was about 80 metre from shore, with only its head visible above the water, when the shark struck, he said.

By the time Mr Hurst got back to his car, he could see a big flock of sea gulls hovering above the water where the roo was attacked.

``I still can't believe,'' he said yesterday.

``It's the most bizarre thing I've ever seen, and I've travelled all over the world.''

And while Mr Hurst said friends were sceptical about his story, he was adamant it was true and said several other people on the beach had seen the curious incident unfold.

``People can believe what they want, but I've got no reason to make this up,'' he said.

Ranger Mick Smith from Lara's Serendip Sanctuary confirmed that kangaroos could swim, and would do so if they felt threatened and saw the water as an escape route.

He said whiptail wallabies in Queensland had been known to swim out to off-shore islands but said he had never heard of eastern grey kangaroos - the main local kangaroo species _ swimming in the ocean.

``It sounds like very unusual behaviour,'' he said.

He said certain diseases could cause strange behaviour in kangaroos.

Colac wildlife officer Stan Williams said kangaroos often sought refuge in dams and rivers if they were being chased by dogs.

And he said a kangaroo he was trying to catch in Queenscliff several years ago had jumped into the sea and was last seen heading out the Rip towards King Island.

I spoke to a Ranger about what I saw and he thought that Roos swam in salt water to rid themselves of fleas etc.
Kind of a Roo day spa with bite