AR-News: (AU) Desperate kangaroos attack Australian pets

[Animalara2003 at aol.com]

_http://www.cbc.ca/stories/2004/07/07/world/hungry_kangaroos040707_ 
(http://www.cbc.ca/stories/2004/07/07/world/hungry_kangaroos040707)  
CBC News
Last Updated Wed, 07 Jul 2004 9:10:59  
CANBERRA - Starving kangaroos are attacking people and household  pets in the 
Australian capital of Canberra, leading environment officials to  issue a 
warning Wednesday not to approach them.  
    *   The marsupials usually eat grass and stay away from people, but a 
severe  drought has driven them into closer contact with humans in the  
320,000-population city. 

Kangaroos are normally  grass-eaters.One Eastern Gray kangaroo  attacked a 
woman walking her poodle last week, and another kangaroo held a  golden 
retriever underwater in a pond until it drowned while its horrified owner  looked on.  
Many of the animals are also gathering to feed on Canberra's golf courses and 
 sports fields, which are being watered to keep them green throughout the  
drought.  
Growing up to 80 kilograms, adult kangaroos can do a lot of damage by swiping 
 at a foe with their paws, scratching, or resting back on their tails and 
kicking  their powerful legs.  
In a notice to the public titled "Take care around Canberra's native  
wildlife," the local environment department has advised people to leave  Australia's 
national symbol alone if they see them at a distance, keep pets on a  leash, 
and walk away if the kangaroos act aggressively.  
Written by CBC News Online _staff_ (http://cbc.ca/bios.html)   





~~~
*+*~~~*+*~~~*+*~~~*+*~~~*+*~~~*+*~~~*+*~~~*+*~~~*+*~~~
"The man who kills  the animals today is the man who kills the people who get 
in his way tomorrow."  - Dr. Diane Fossey, Woman in the Mists (Dr. Fossey was 
killed by someone who  killed animals yesterday.)
/\   /\ 
>' .' <


-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: http://lists.envirolink.org/pipermail/ar-news/attachments/20040707/1e77894f/attachment.html