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MMA teacher jumps into river to save his dog from kangaroo
Long-time Bloody Elbow readers might remember that I used to have a Tumblr all about people who find themselves in fights with animals. So this is a topic that’s near and dear to my heart.
Today we’ve got one that is sweeping the interwebs and it involves a MMA trainer and BJJ coach named Mick Moloney of Mildura, Australia. ABC Radio Melbourne broke the story of Moloney and how he found himself face-to-face with a “jacked” kangaroo who had his dog Hatchi in a headlock and seemed to be intent on drowning the dog.
“I was like ‘this thing’s just got out of jail’ or something.”
Moloney said kangaroo was strong. He slapped it in the face. They wrestled in the water. He was afraid he would get kicked, but was able to distract the animal by splashing water in its face. That gave him a window of opportunity to bolt to the shore.
The first-person video is compelling but unfortunately doesn’t give us a view of the whole confrontation so we can’t judge Moloney’s technique. Other than seeing the roo holding Hatchi and seemingly going for back control, then releasing the dog and going for what looks like a double-pawed claw attack we can’t really evaluate the animal’s skills either.
This kind of thing happens in Australia as well as MMA
It doesn’t take much Googling to discover this kind of thing happens not infrequently down under.
A separate viral clip of a man fighting a kangaroo to save his dog. This time it’s a land battle so no drowning threats were involved. This video includes pretty good analysis and it seems like the human in this instance has some boxing skills if not training.
The kangaroo in this instance shows some dominant grappling against the large dog but doesn’t impress in the boxing contest with the human.
Background on kangaroo fighting style and skills
The site Lucky Kangaroos has a great backgrounder on kangaroo fighting.
“Kangaroo boxing and kangaroo fighting play an important role in a kangaroo’s everyday life. As soon as a kangaroo leaves its mother’s pouch there’s no time to lose to learn the most valuable skills. Young kangaroos box playfully, later on, their fighting skills determine whether kangaroos can survive in the wild and whether a male kangaroo gets the chance to become the father of a joey. How do kangaroos fight?
“Kangaroos use their strong tail and hind legs to stand up and fight. When they are in an upright position, kangaroos start the fight by grasping the neck of the other kangaroo with their forepaws. In this high-standing posture, kangaroos extend their claws and wrestle. They paw their opponent’s chest, neck, shoulder and head. Some kangaroos then balance on their tail and kick the opponent’s abdomen with their hind legs.”
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