Photo / @r_toneguzzo, Twitter
WARNING: Graphic image
A 6-year-old boy has sustained horror injuries after being attacked by two wallabies before footy training.
The youngster, Koby Pender, was waiting for the session at Centrals Trinity Beach Junior Football Club in Cairns to start when he was struck and knocked to the ground.
He was left traumatised and shaken by the bloody incident, according to the club's junior vice president Daymen Thomas.
"Koby was covered in blood, it was a pretty scary attack," he told NCA Newswire.
"Two wallabies picked out Koby and just attacked him, they were on top of him. The coach was about 20 metres away and he had to run and physically fight them off.
"Then they jumped up to him at head height to try and get at the lad."
Koby was rushed to hospital in an ambulance after the traumatic encounter.
Dad Scott Pender, said while his son was shaken up by the incident, the family are grateful his injuries weren't worse.
"We are thankful they scratched his head and he didn't lose an eye,' he told Cairns Post.
"They scratched him, they kicked him, they jumped on him, you name it they did it."
Thomas said countless nearby wallabies have been a long-term issue for the club and those living in the surrounding area.
"There have become an ongoing problem for the area that nobody seems to be 100 per cent committed to fixing," he said.
"But to see this kid attacked like that I think it's a bit of a wake-up call that they are not the cute little furry animals that they appear to be."
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