Hop, skip and a thump: Kangaroo inflicted trauma

Abstract

Although hospital presentations from kangaroo-related injuries commonly stem from motor vehicle collisions, a lesser-known subset involves assaults by kangaroos. In an Australian study over 10 years, only 40 attacks on humans were reported (Herbert et al., 2021). The rate of human injury from kangaroos has speculatively increased, attributed to changes in its natural habitat from fires and urbanisation (Hardy et al., 2021). We present the case of a 75-year-old gentleman who sustained multiple injuries, including a scrotal tear and hemopneumothorax, from a kangaroo-related assault. This case highlights the diverse nature of kangaroo-related injuries and underscores the need for public safety campaigns and comprehensive reporting mechanisms to capture injury rates from incidents involving kangaroos, especially in the setting of climate change-altering environments and increasing human-wildlife contact.