# Is a kangaroo a dangerous creature? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [June 5, 2007, 4:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-a-kangaroo-a-dangerous-creature/406794 "2007-06-05T04:40:22Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 11\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![AskNott](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/asknott/32/5790_2.png) [@AskNott](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AskNott)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2007, 4:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-a-kangaroo-a-dangerous-creature/406794/1 "2007-06-05T04:40:22Z")
It’s been a quiet week in central Indiana. The escaped cougar from a few weeks ago is still at large, and she has eluded capture. However, somebody’s 6-foot kangaroo got loose (two teenaged girls opened its pen as a prank,) and it was spotted by a local citizen, who at first thought it was a very large rabbit (Harvey, is that you?) An animal control officer in Fountaintown shot the 'roo with a tranquilizer dart, which turned out to be a fatal overdose. Was this necessary? Is a kangaroo any more dodgy than a white-tailed deer, which roam free? In Australia, are kangaroos considered dangerous? Sure, they eat your azaleas, but would you call in the police to trank the beast? ---
**Author:** ![Lok](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e8c25b/32.png) [@Lok](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lok)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2007, 4:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-a-kangaroo-a-dangerous-creature/406794/2 "2007-06-05T04:42:58Z")
Well, first, they can be hard to catch. They can move pretty fast. Second, they can be dangerous, I understand their kick can do a lot of damage. ---
**Author:** ![Cunctator](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/43a26b/32.png) [@Cunctator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cunctator)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2007, 4:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-a-kangaroo-a-dangerous-creature/406794/3 "2007-06-05T04:50:44Z")
[QUOTE=AskNott] In Australia, are kangaroos considered dangerous? Sure, they eat your azaleas, but would you call in the police to trank the beast? [/QUOTE] I certainly wouldn’t go near one. They can do quite a bit of harm with their claws and their kick packs a punch. I’ve read a couple of stories in newspapers about people who have been walking the pet dog, which has got into a fight with a kangaroo. The kangaroo is said to have killed the dog. ---
**Author:** ![Dante](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dante/32/9673_2.png) [@Dante](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dante)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2007, 4:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-a-kangaroo-a-dangerous-creature/406794/4 "2007-06-05T04:54:09Z")
Sharp hind claws, powerful legs, and they balance on their tail. They can be pretty dangerous. Just ask [this guy](http://youtube.com/watch?v=8B66gFbN3sg). ---
**Author:** ![Autolycus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/22d042/32.png) [@Autolycus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Autolycus)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2007, 5:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-a-kangaroo-a-dangerous-creature/406794/5 "2007-06-05T05:30:24Z")
While I dont know if they’re aggressive, they can certainly be dangerous. FWIW, I read a zookeeper internet posting on either SomethingAwful or Fark that talked about how a jackal invading the kangaroo nursery got slaughtered by the parent 'roos. ---
**Author:** ![Gleena](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/b3f665/32.png) [@Gleena](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gleena)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2007, 5:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-a-kangaroo-a-dangerous-creature/406794/6 "2007-06-05T05:31:48Z")
Dangerous and potentially agressive, yes. Not cute and cuddly. Plus, depending on the type of roo, large and strong. Cheers, G ---
**Author:** ![GreedySmurf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a698b9/32.png) [@GreedySmurf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GreedySmurf)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2007, 7:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-a-kangaroo-a-dangerous-creature/406794/7 "2007-06-05T07:08:52Z")
Depends very much on the type and gender of Roo you’re talking about. They are generally reasonably placid creatures, with some exceptions, but if for whatever reason they take it into their heads to resist your attempts to recapture them, like being in a srange place with a bunch of strange people trying to grab you, yes they can be quite dangerous. :eek: The claws on their hind legs are very sharp, and they are very adapt at taking a “boxing”\* stance and lashing out with their hind legs. The nasty thing is the average sized roo doing this usually strikes around an average sized persons abdomen. A nice soft spot to drag those sharp claws across!! :eek: In Australia, we don’t really consider them dangerous as such, apart from maybe the big male Red kangaroos. But just like cows if you annoy one enough they can do some serious damage to you. - They rear up on their hind legs, balanced by their tail, head thrown right back, and forearms up almost like a boxer protecting themselves, hence the “boxing kangaroo” ---
**Author:** ![si\_blakely](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d9b06d/32.png) [@si\_blakely](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/si_blakely)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2007, 10:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-a-kangaroo-a-dangerous-creature/406794/8 "2007-06-05T10:00:32Z")
Their speed and jump makes them dangerous if they get in traffic, too. They can jump over a car, but will go through the windscreen of a small truck - and you really don’t want a 'roo in your cab. 'roo bars were invented for a reason. Si ---
**Author:** ![Cicero](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cicero/32/3594_2.png) [@Cicero](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cicero)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2007, 10:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-a-kangaroo-a-dangerous-creature/406794/9 "2007-06-05T10:03:19Z")
Quite dangerous- they but generally avoid coming too close. I wouldn’t like to be cornered by an angry one. Very powerful- and quick- creatures. ---
**Author:** ![crazyau](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/22d042/32.png) [@crazyau](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/crazyau)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2007, 11:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-a-kangaroo-a-dangerous-creature/406794/10 "2007-06-05T11:00:38Z")
Plenty of roo’s around my area, generally they avoid people. The only time most people have contact with roo’s is at night time when they seem to always jump out in front of your car. ---
**Author:** ![AskNott](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/asknott/32/5790_2.png) [@AskNott](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AskNott)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2007, 12:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-a-kangaroo-a-dangerous-creature/406794/11 "2007-06-05T12:01:57Z")
Here’s this morning’s story on the ill-fated capture. [http://www.indystar.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070605/LOCAL18/706050410](http://www.indystar.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070605/LOCAL18/706050410) Gosh, I had no idea. Before your replies, I had imagined the kangaroo could have been allowed to roam loose until he decided whether to return to his owner. It certainly would have added some tall tales to the local folklore. Anyway, he’s dead. Thank you for your answers. The cougar is still out there, probably getting fat on rabbits and ground hogs.