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Metro
24-05-2025
- Metro
Kangaroo tries to 'drown a man in floodwater after throwing punches at him'
A kangaroo 'tried to drown' a man in floodwaters in a terrifying encounter that could only happen in Australia. Don James lived to tell the tale – and warn others – after getting into a full-blown fist fight with the marsupial on Friday morning. The incident happened in Port Macquarie, one of the cities which has been hit by record-breaking flood. At least seven deaths have been reported and more than 50,000 remain isolated. Don found himself fighting for his life after the animal started punching him on the side of a road. The man tried to defend himself, but the kangaroo floored him and then forced his head under floodwater. Don described the encounter as 'pretty traumatic', telling ABC Australia: 'I just remember being under water and kicking and screaming and carrying on.' He managed to flee as the kangaroo became spooked by an approaching car and ran away. Kristy Lees witness the whole incident unfold on the Shoreline Drive as she was driving past. She said: 'The kangaroo leapt at our car and then tried to come at the car. 'Then it saw Don about 30 metres away … and they got into an altercation. 'They started punching each other – the kangaroo started punching him.' Local wildlife rescue FAUNA's Kym Kilpatrick said when wild animals are distressed – which they would be during a flood event – and perceive a threat they can demonstrate unusual behaviours. More Trending She urged people to remain cautious in their approach and put their safety first. Kangaroos are known to sometimes try and drown their foes. It is a rare – but potentially fatal – defensive behaviour. When threatened, especially by dogs or other predators, kangaroos may retreat into water. If the pursuer follows, they may use their strong arms to hold the attacker underwater. Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@ For more stories like this, check our news page. MORE: Flooding in Australia leaves four dead and entire towns underwater MORE: Missing British student Lewis Jack's body found on Australia's Gold Coast MORE: Map shows spread of tropical disease Melioidosis that has killed 31 people across Australia
The Independent
02-05-2025
- General
- The Independent
Tourist father and son help rescue great white shark stranded in shallow waters
Australian tourist Nash Core and his young son joined forces with a group of locals to rescue a great white shark stranded in shallow waters, helping it back into the ocean. Drone footage shot by the duo showed them assisting the distressed animal return to deep water from a sand bank with the help of three local men. The rescue effort on Tuesday near the coastal town of Ardrossan in south Australia lasted almost an hour. Mr Core said he spotted the men trying to help the stranded shark during a caravan tour around Australia with his wife, Ash Core, and their sons, Parker, 11, and Lennox, 7. The family were visiting from the Gold Coast in Queensland. 'We were just going out to do some crab breaking on the low tide and we came around the headland and seen a few people just looking over and we're like, 'Oh, what's happening?". So, we looked over and we seen this shark in the shallows. So, I ran and got my drone and flew it over for a bit of a closer look and we noticed that it was really struggling,' he told ABC Australia. He and Parker rushed to help the local men rescue the animal. 'It was either sick or just tired. We definitely got it into some deeper water, so hopefully it is still swimming,' Mr Core said. Reflecting upon their experience, he said: 'To be honest, I did have some thoughts about, 'Oh, why am I going out here?' As we were going out, my young son, Parker, turned to me and said, 'My heart's pounding'. I said, 'Yeah, mine is beating pretty fast too.'' The local men were using crab rakes, a garden rake-like tool used to dig small crabs from sand, to help the shark back into deeper water as the father and son arrived. 'They got it into deeper water where I thought it's probably not a good idea to go any further. That's its territory and I'll stay back,' Mr Core said. The local rescuers later told Mr Core they had never seen a beached shark before. According to marine wildlife experts, shark strandings, while not common, were becoming more visible because of social media. There could be several reasons why marine animals like sharks might strand, including illness and injury, Vanessa Pirotta, wildlife scientist at Macquarie University, said. The shark could also have chased prey into the shallows, she said. 'If you see something like this, human safety comes first and foremost,' Ms Pirotta said, advising to contact environmental authorities 'who will get someone appropriate to come and assist'.
RNZ News
27-04-2025
- Politics
- RNZ News
Dutton names China as biggest threat to Australia's security as leaders faced off in fiery final debate
By political reporter Maani Truu , ABC Australia's opposition leader Peter Dutton. Photo: DAVID GRAY / AFP Australia's coalition leader Peter Dutton singled out China as the biggest threat to Australia's national security and pressed Prime Minister Anthony Albanese on whether Welcome to Country ceremonies were overdone in a fiery final leaders' debate. The leaders were also quizzed about the the economy, housing, Donald Trump and the cost of eggs on Sunday, with 60 undecided viewers selected by the Seven Network handing the win to Albanese less than a week out from election day. National security featured heavily in the hour-long debate - the fourth in this campaign - with Dutton citing intelligence and defence officials who he said are worried about China, the potential for conflict in our region and what that could mean for trade. Asked if he agreed with his opponent that China was the number one threat to Australia, the Labor leader swerved the question and instead said the global super power was "seeking to increase its influence". "But the relationship is complex as well, because China is our major trading partner," he added. When asked whether he would single out China directly as the biggest threat facing Australia, Albanese said: "I'm the prime minister of a country, and how you deal as prime minister is diplomatically and that is what we continue to do." Both leaders said they could trust US President Donald Trump to have Australia's back when it comes to national security. When asked the same question during a debate earlier in the campaign, Dutton responded that he had not met the president and therefore could not say. But on Sunday he offered a different answer, stating "we can trust whoever is in the Oval Office". "We respect the views of the American people and they've elected a president," he said. Both Dutton and Albanese noted there was strong support for the US-Australian alliance from both Republicans and Democrats. The prime minister said he begun his relationship with the president at "100 per cent trust", noting that they held different views on trade. That gave way to an awkward exchange when Albanese was asked if he had Trump's number and he responded that the pair texted but "he's not sure" the president has a phone. "We text each other, we do," he said. "But global leaders, you set up, there are people taking notes from either side, it's not something that's a casual relationship." Questioned again on whether that meant he did not have Trump's number, or if the president does not have a phone, the prime minister said "I don't know". "You don't have discussions with global leaders just over the phone," he said. The Coalition leader declared that a lot of Australians thought Welcome to Country ceremonies were "overdone", days after a prominent Neo-Nazi and others heckled an Indigenous elder as he delivered his address at an Anzac Day dawn ceremony. Both leaders condemned the action shortly after it occurred and reiterated their disproval during the debate, with Albanese describing it as an "act of cowardice". Asked whether he would continue to have Welcome to Country ceremonies, Dutton said they were a "respectful thing to do" for some events like the opening of parliament, which he suggested would continue. "But for the start of every meeting at work or the start of a football game, I think a lot of Australians think it's overdone, and it cheapens the significance of what it was meant to do," he said. "It divides the country, not dissimilar to what the prime minister did with the Voice." Coalition frontbencher Jacinta Nampijinpa Price has previously said she would review federal funding for Indigenous Welcome to Country ceremonies if her party is elected. Asked to respond, the prime minister said he believed the ceremonies were a "matter of respect" but that it was up to the host of the event whether they held one, declining to say whether he believed they were "overdone" when Dutton asked him directly. "People will have different views, and people are entitled to their views, but we have a great privilege, from my perspective, of sharing this continent with the oldest continuous culture on earth," Albanese said. Housing is one of the key issues at this election, with both major parties offering competing policies they say will make it easier for first-time buyers to enter the market. Early in the debate, both leaders were asked what the "Australian dream looks like today" for those trying to step onto the property ladder. "It looks like a nightmare," Dutton said, blaming Labor for high rents due to migration. Albanese said the issue had not only emerged over the last few years, naming supply as the number one issue to solve. The prime minister also said that changes to negative gearing, as Labor had previously proposed, were "off the table". "We moved on, because the key is supply, and that measure will not boost supply. So that is what we have been concentrating on," he said. A round of quick fire questions capped off the debate, with the two leaders asked to name the price of eggs and give their thoughts on Elon Musk. On the price of eggs, Dutton guessed about $4.20, which host Natalie Barr noted "might get you about half a dozen". Albanese said $7 "if you can find them", closer to the $8-something reality. They were also shown a photo of Elon Musk - the American billionaire behind the Trump administration's Department for Government Efficiency - and asked "what comes to mind". Both leaders were initially short and sharp. Albanese said "Tesla and a very rich man", while Dutton went with "evil genius". The exchange led to a question for the Coalition leader on whether he had distanced himself enough from President Trump. "I haven't sought to be anybody other than myself," Dutton said, calling out former prime minister John Howard as his political mentor. The prime minister interjected, questioning the parallels between some of the Coalition policies and Trump's agenda, leading to a heated back and forth over "government efficiency".
New York Times
14-03-2025
- Politics
- New York Times
Influencer's Wielding of Wild Wombat Incurs Wrath of a Nation
In times of tumult and uncertainty, a society can come together over resounding, unequivocal disdain against a common villain. This week, Australia, which is gearing up for a divisive election, found that antagonist in an American social media influencer. The woman — known as 'Sam Jones' from Montana on Instagram — snatched a baby wombat from near its mother at night from the side of what appeared to be a remote road. Then she ran back to her vehicle and held the marsupial up for a camera, as it wriggled and squealed. 'Mama's right there, and she's pissed,' the woman said in a video posted online. She went on to release the joey on the roadside in the darkness, illuminated only by her car's headlights. Australia's prime minister, Anthony Albanese, suggested that she try the same with a crocodile and see how that goes. 'To take a baby wombat from its mother, and clearly causing distress from the mother is just an outrage,' Mr. Albanese said. The indignation was bipartisan: Asked about the video by a reporter, the opposition leader, Peter Dutton, called it 'a cruel act.' The minister for home affairs, Tony Burke, said officials would review the woman's visa to see if any immigration laws had been breached, and that any future applications from her would receive intense scrutiny. The government did not release her name but Australian news media identified her as Samantha Strable. The drumbeat of criticism included calls to deport the woman. On Friday morning, ABC Australia, the national broadcaster, sent out a news alert saying she had left Australia. The Wombat Protection Society of Australia denounced the video, explaining that human interaction could cause 'severe stress' to wombats, and that it wasn't clear from the short clip whether the animal had been reunited with its mother. 'A baby of this size is highly dependent on its mother, and prolonged separation could have fatal consequences,' the group said in a statement. The influencer's account, which describes her as an outdoor enthusiast and hunter, has been made private. An older video of her holding an echidna, another animal unique to Australia, drew further criticism. An apology was posted in a newly created account on TikTok under a similar username. 'I'm really sorry about the wombat incident,' she wrote. 'It was a mistake.' In a subsequent post she said that she was getting hundreds of death threats for having picked up the animal. She did not respond to requests for comment. In an email, Mark Heinz, a reporter for the Wyoming-based Cowboy State Daily, said he believed the woman in question was indeed Ms. Strable, whom he had interviewed in 2023 about her enthusiasm for hunting. Ms. Strable responded to his attempt to reach her this week only by saying she would have an official statement forthcoming, Mr. Heinz said. In the interview with Mr. Heinz, Ms. Strable, then a resident of Pinedale, Wyo., recounted her adventures of having hunted red stag in Chile with a bow and killed pigs and wallabies in New Zealand. She said that she was next attempting to trap a Wyoming black bear. She described herself as a wildlife biologist who works seasonally, and spends winter months in the southern hemisphere. Detailing her pig hunting experience in New Zealand, in which dogs corner wild pigs allowing for the hunter to plunge a knife into the animal's heart, she said it was 'intense.' 'Honestly, I cried,' she said in the interview. 'I don't like killing. I like the hunting, I like the chase. It's not fun to see anything die.'
