Australian Mick Moloney was out walking his three Akitas at their favorite spot by the Murray River when one of his dogs got into serious trouble.
“Morning walk with the pack, got close to the river and Hatchi was missing, next minute he comes up gargling, getting drowned by this monster,” Mick captioned in the video he shared of the encounter. The “monster”? A large, muscular kangaroo that had grabbed hold of his dog Hatchi and was holding him underwater.
“I saw a kangaroo…with his arms in the water, basically just staring at me,” he later told 7 News. “After about 15 seconds, Hatchi came up and he was in a headlock with this kangaroo. Water was just gushing out of his mouth and he yelped quite badly.”
Seconds later, Mick sprung into action to go free his dog.
The mixed martial artist instructor and ex-cop ran into the water to rescue his dog and tried to get the kangaroo to let go. Mick smacked it and the kangaroo smacked him back, knocking his phone into the river. After a brief tussle, Hatchi swam safely back to shore and Mick retrieved his phone before backing out of the river with the ripped kangaroo staring him down.
Mick told news outlets afterwards his martial arts training didn’t do much for him saying the kangaroo was “jacked” and when he wrestled with it it was like hugging a fridge.
“The muscles on this thing, I was like ‘this thing’s just got out of jail’ or something…It was jacked,” he told ABC Radio
Thankfully, everyone was okay (including the kangaroo) after the encounter although Mick suffered some scratches and told 7 News, “My forearm was killing me for most of the day. It was a bit of a punch on.”
Mick’s video that he originally on TikTok has since gone viral with many people impressed and scared by the size and strength of the kangaroo.
“Look at the ears, this roo is a real warrior,” wrote one viewer.
Others pointed out that Mick’s dog would have been safe if he had been on leash and that the kangaroo was more than likely defending itself. Hopefully both Mick and his dogs will be more cautious around the river next time.
Disclosure: This post may include affiliate links.