Brave Australian Man Punches Attacking Kangaroo in the Face to Save His Dog’s Life

During this hunting trip, Tonkins came upon a terrifying sight: His beloved dog Max gripped in the headlock of a kangaroo.

Marco Festa-Bianchet, a National Geographic explorer who studies kangaroos, stated succinctly that Tonkins was in danger of disembowelment. He was in danger. But Tonkins either didn’t know or didn’t care. He knew what he had to do.

Quite a Zoo

This is a typical scene from the Taronga Western Plains Zoo (known affectionately as the Dubbo Zoo), in Australia. It’s a place for peaceful observation of animals. A place that ostensibly finds the utmost in professional caretakers and zoologists.

Yet in June 2016, one employee of this zoo performed a violent act against an animal in the wild, igniting a firestorm of controversy.

Kangaroo Boxing

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When kangaroos fight each other in nature, they fight viciously, standing on their hind legs and punching each other with a set of claws. As such, the image of a boxing kangaroo became a national symbol for Australia.

Regrettably, this fighting spirit often moved from symbolic to literal, as humans boxed unwitting kangaroos for sport and entertainment. All of these factors came into play in the story of Greig Tonkins.

Greig Tonkins

Tonkins, pictured here on the far right, worked as a zookeeper at the aforementioned Taronga Western Plains Zoo. Animals were a big part of his life. He belonged to the Australian Pig Doggers and Hunters Association.

Here, his dog Max poses with pride at a high jumping contest.

Hunting Season

In the summer of 2016, in New South Wales, Tonkens took a group of human friends (and his pup friend Max) on a boar hunting trip. This trip was particularly special for the person on Tolkien’s right in this photo.