Latest news with #DonJames
ABC News
2 days ago
- General
- ABC News
Man survives fight with stressed roo by throwing 'backward elbows'
Don James doesn't know what to make of his new nickname "Kangaroo Don-dee". But after emerging relatively unscathed from a kangaroo attack in floodwaters on the New South Wales Mid North Coast, he has become the talk of his small town. During record-breaking flooding, Port Macquarie North Shore resident Don James was surveying damage on his street and spotted a large kangaroo nearby. "He was just a big fella by himself on the side of the road, feeding, eating grass. I stopped to take a picture of him," Mr James said. The large marsupial jumped toward a nearby vehicle and started hitting itself into the car's bonnet, before it noticed Mr James standing 40 metres away. "It has its head turned and has seen me up the road and just made a beeline straight for me," he said. "There was no time to react." Mr James leapt off the side of the road into nearby floodwater to let the distressed animal pass by. "As I've hit the water and turned back around, bang, he was on me," he said. "It all happened very quickly." Mr James quickly recalled learning in his youth that kangaroos could disembowel animals like dogs when they were distressed. "Before I knew it, I was under the water. I know that's what kangaroos do to drown you or rip you open," he said. "I started throwing backwards elbows, instantly trying to get up because I was under the water. "I could push myself up and then make myself big and make a hell of a lot of noise." The animal got scared and hopped away. Ending up relatively unscathed — with just a sore back but with "no holes" — a "very lucky" Mr James was running on adrenaline and shock. "In the 10 minutes after when other people were standing around going 'whoa', like that was full on and really realising that it was a dangerous situation," he said. One of those shocked onlookers was neighbour Kristy Lees, who witnessed the ordeal through the rearview mirror of her car. "The kangaroo was on top of him Don and I could see his head trying to stick out of the water," Ms Lees said. "It's quite scary what happened." Ms Lees said the attack opened her eyes to what kangaroos were capable of. "He [Don] was just shaking. I've never seen someone shake like that before. He was super, super shocked." When record-breaking floods lashed the NSW Mid North Coast in May, Mr James's home was without power for five days and floodwaters rose into his home. He believed the kangaroo was experiencing the stress of having its habitat affected by the event. "He's trying to survive too." Eastern grey kangaroos can grow as large as 2.3 metres from head to tail and weigh up to 95 kilograms. Fewer than five people are treated for kangaroo-related injuries each year in NSW, according to the NSW Office of Environment and Heritage. Meredith Ryan, president of For Australian Wildlife Needing Aid (FAWNA), said floods could cause frightened and hungry kangaroos to behave abnormally. She said kangaroos could cause damage with their powerful hind limbs and sharp nails. "If you do come across a kangaroo in a threatening position, you don't look it in the eyes, you walk quietly away, don't run," she said. "If it does come for you, fall onto the ground in a ball and make sure to cover your head and your throat because that's where the animal will attack."
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
Daily Mail
23-05-2025
- General
- Daily Mail
Kangaroo tries to drown a man after the two 'threw punches at each other like a boxing match' when the animal attacked him
A man was left fighting for his life after a 'really muscly' kangaroo 'tried to drown' him while the two were throwing fists. The marsupial is believed to have become 'very distressed' when it became trapped in a flooded area in Australia. Don James was warning passer-bys on Friday morning that there was a large kangaroo near a parked car in Port Macquarie, New South Wales, when the creature 'as big as the car' it was standing next to became aggressive. 'They literally got into a boxing match,' local Kirsty Lees said, 'I'm looking in the rear-view mirror and they are throwing punches.' As Mr James tried to run away, he tripped and fell into the flooded area. The kangaroo was then 'holding him down' and 'tried to drown the man'. When another person came to Mr James's assistance, the animal darted away. 'I just remember being under water and kicking and screaming and carrying on,' Mr James told Australian news network ABC. It was a 'pretty traumatic' experience and comes only a year after he had to fend off a great white shark attack. 'I feel like they're trying to kill me, all these animals.' Ms Lees, who went to check the water levels with her husband at 9.00am local time (11.00pm GMT yesterday) when she spotted Mr James, told the BBC that 'it's not everyday a big, male kangaroo decides to take you on... Even in Australia, you do not expect to see it.' Kangaroos have been known to drown animals when they feel threatened or cornered likely as a defence mechanism but will usually take on much smaller animals. Mr James explained 'there's a very strong instinct - kangaroos will go to water if they're threatened by a predator'. A local wildlife rescue added that animals in distress can display unusual behaviours. Kym Kilpatrick from Fauna said 'we would ask that people be cautious in their approach, put their safety first and foremost and use PPE [for a rescue] like gloves and mask'. She added: 'There's a lot of bacteria with all the flood waters carrying many contaminants.' The flooding has devastated the area, with five people confirmed dead after dangerous conditions prevented emergency crews from accessing a home. The body of a man believed to be his 80s was found inside a burnt-out vehicle in a shed on a Cooplacurripa property, about 50km north-west of Taree on the NSW mid-north coast. A concern for welfare had been raised on Wednesday after the shed was reportedly spotted alight, but severe weather conditions prevented crews from getting to the property by road. Access to the home was only possible by helicopter with officers arriving early on Friday afternoon, NSW Police said in a statement. Of the five deaths linked to the record-breaking floods, three have involved drivers. The body of a man in his late 70s was found on Friday after his vehicle appeared to be swept off a causeway at Nana Glen near Coffs Harbour. Another man died at a flooded home near Taree, as did a driver west of Port Macquarie and a 60-year-old woman near Coffs Harbour. The intense rainfall that has battered the mid-north coast for several days moved south on Friday, but communities remain cut off and it will take some time to recover once floodwaters recede. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and Premier Chris Minns planned to visit hard-hit Taree but their attempt to meet affected locals was called off, further highlighting the town's isolation by its second major flood in four years.
BBC News
23-05-2025
- Climate
- BBC News
Port Macquarie: Kangaroo 'tries to drown' man in Australia floodwaters
A "really muscly" kangaroo "tried to drown" a man in Australia, after the two got into a James is said to have found himself fighting for his life as the marsupial held him down in floodwaters which had pooled on the side of the road near Port Macquarie - only escaping after the animal appeared to become Lees, who watched the battle unfold in her rear-view mirror, told the BBC: "It's not everyday a big, male kangaroo decides to take you on... Even in Australia, you do not expect to see it."She suspects the "very distressed" kangaroo had become trapped in the area following the record flooding that hit New South Wales this week, leaving five people dead. Ms Lees was first alerted to the kangaroo's presence as she drove down to check the water levels in Port Macquarie's North Shore with her husband, at about 09:00 local time on Friday (23:00 GMT on Thursday).Two men - one of whom was later identified as Don James by Australian news network ABC - warned them that there was a "really big" kangaroo just around the next parked sure enough, there was the kangaroo - "as big as the car" it was standing next next thing Ms Lees knew, the kangaroo had launched towards her car, which she had slowed to a crawl so as not to startle the animal, and started to attack as he moved round to her side of the car, the kangaroo appeared to spot another target: Mr James, who was still walking away up the kangaroo gave chase."They literally got into a boxing match," Kristy said. "I'm looking in the rear-view mirror and they are throwing punches."Mr James then ran backwards before tripping and falling into a patch of floodwater by the side of the next thing Kristy knew, the "kangaroo was holding him down"."The kangaroo tried to drown the man," she said. "I realised what was happening and told my husband [who couldn't see the fight from his seat] to get out the car and help."But then the kangaroo appears to have been spooked - perhaps by the approaching car driven by Mr James's friend - allowing him to escape down towards Ms Lees, who has since tried to warn as many neighbours as possible."The kangaroo was trying to drown me," he told Ms Lees, who was able to say she had seen it all."I just remember being under water and kicking and screaming and carrying on," Mr James later told was, he said, "pretty traumatic for a while there".Kangaroos have been known to appear to attempt to drown their foes - although these are usually animals the size of ecologist Graeme Coulson, from the University of Melbourne, revealed to ABC that his neighbour had lost two dogs that way."There's a very strong instinct - kangaroos will go to water if they're threatened by a predator," he told the news he said, the behaviour is likely more about protecting themselves than drowning their foe. That is unlikely to make Mr James feel any better about Friday morning's altercation - especially as he told Ms Lees that just 12 months ago he had fended off another attack, that time by a great white shark."I feel like they're trying to kill me, all these animals," he reportedly BBC has attempted to contact Mr James for comment.
