Kangaroos are one of the most impressive wildlife there is. Her almost constant standing on two legs, the face that looks like a domesticated version of a camel, and her muscular body with an almost human structure make her quite beloved. But not only is kangaroo not exactly man's best friend, capable of hitting anyone who gets too close to him with tremendous force, he also really, really hates man's best friend, and tends to try to kill him. ChatGPT helps us explain why.
Australia was recently shocked by the case of Mick Moloney, whose dog Hachi was nearly killed by a giant kangaroo standing in the Murray River. When Moloney noticed that one of his three dogs was missing, he began searching for him and found him being forcibly held by the kangaroo who tried to drown him in the river. Moloney filmed the situation while trying to rescue his dog from the kangaroo – which, of course, led to the kangaroo hitting and injuring him.
If it had been a unique event, it probably wouldn't have gotten too much attention – but Australians recalled that a similar incident had been filmed in the past, in which a kangaroo tried to drown a hiker's dog that came across. This led to the question of what kangaroos have against dogs.
A small dog and kangaroo have gone toe to toe in a bizarre tussle a Brisbane river. Witnesses filmed the clash that started on land before the pair plunged into the water. https://t.co/JkJj1kxZpm #7NEWS pic.twitter.com/4VAYTIqNAf
— 7NEWS Sydney (@7NewsSydney) January 14, 2020
Ewan Ritchie, professor of ecology and wildlife conservation at Deakin University in Australia, kangaroos see dogs as a threat, due to their resemblance to the dingo – half dog, half giant golden wolf, which besides being one of the most beautiful animals in the world is also one of the natural predators of kangaroos. Dingos hunt kangaroos in packs, using strategies such as chasing prey to exhaustion and biting it on the hind legs to slow it down, or leaping straight towards the neck.
To escape these incessant attacks, kangaroos developed an instinctive defense mechanism: seeking refuge in bodies of water. In water, the tall kangaroo has an advantage over the dingo, as it can drown the dog with its strong arms. Graeme Coulson, an honorary principal fellow at the University of Melbourne who specialises in kangaroo behaviour and ecology, stresses that this behaviour is an evolutionary response, honed over thousands of years to survive alongside the dingo.
The experts note that for kangaroos, there is no difference between a dingo and a dog, so dog owners need to be extra vigilant – beyond the usual vigilance around kangaroos, who also do not perceive humans as friends.
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