Deadly battle with wombat

A survivor of the Black Saturday bushfires in Victoria got more than he bargained for when he emerged from his caravan at Flowerdale yesterday to be attacked by a wombat.

Bruce Kringle, aged in his 50s, who is waiting for his new house to be built, was set upon by the wombat which mauled his leg and then managed to pull him to the ground.

Kelly Smith, who works at the Flowerdale Hotel, said the wombat then jumped on Kringle's chest and continued scratching him with its claws.

"Bruce managed to find an axe and killed it," Smith said.