Greig Tonkins was 'very lucky' not to have been kicked by the kangaroo following the punch. Photo / Greg Bloom
Greig Tonkins was 'very lucky' not to have been kicked by the kangaroo following the punch. Photo / Greg Bloom
Take one look at the headlock, and you'd agree that Max the hunting dog is pretty lucky to be alive.
Earlier this week, footage of zookeeper Greig Tonkins sent the world into meltdown after he went toe-to-toe with an Eastern Grey kangaroo during a hunting trip in June.
Mr Tonkins, who struck the roo in the face with a right hook, did so to protect his beloved dog Max, who had just been released from a headlock seconds earlier.
Typically, according to kangaroo expert Dr Mark Eldridge from the Australian Museum, kangaroos usually flee when they spot a dog or dingo. So what was this buck thinking?
"This was a really interesting scenario," Dr Eldrige told news.com.au.
"When kangaroos fight they do tend to wrestle and kick, but they would normally view dogs and dingoes as predators and usually flee from them.
"But in this case, maybe the dog surprised the roo and got too close. And in turn, the kangaroo defended itself instead of running away, and did so by getting the dog in a headlock."
Earlier this year, the world misread another kangaroo-based scenario, when we all thought a male kangaroo was grasping his dying mate for one last family hug with their joey.
The world thought the male roo was embracing his dead girlfriend. How wrong we were. Photo / News Corp Australia
Rather than trying to cradle the dying partner, the male kangaroo was trying to mate with her one last time."The male is clearly highly stressed and agitated, his forearms are very wet from him licking himself to cool down," Dr Eldridge said at the time.
"He is also sexually aroused: The evidence is here sticking out from behind the scrotum (yes, in marsupials the penis is located behind the scrotum)."
But in this case, it looks like no love was shared between the two animals - perhaps just a little bit of confusion.
"The kangaroo didn't seem to be biting the dog, I think he was pretty confused," Dr Eldridge said.
"Maybe the kangaroo was just having a hold of the dog and didn't know what to do next, because normally it would use his legs to kick in a fight.
"Male kangaroos will try scratch and wrestle before sometimes putting an opponent in a headlock. It's a tactic when bucks fight.
"The kangaroo could've potentially choked the dog, but it was wearing armour so that may have protected it from the full force."
Dr Eldridge said Mr Tonkins was probably the luckiest to escape unscathed from the incident, as the kangaroo chose to flee rather than fight.
"Male kangaroos have very big forearms and are very strong," he said.
"The man [Greig Tonkins] was very lucky he didn't get kicked. Before kangaroos fight, they usually size each other up. If one doesn't back down, they will get into an aggressive encounter.
"I think the kangaroo was still in the sizing up stage when he was hit with the punch, and so the man was lucky the roo decided to call it quits instead of using his leg which cause a lot of damage."
Mr Tonkins, who is employed by Taronga's Western Plains Zoo in Dubbo, has gone to ground since the video went viral.
Today, the Taronga Conservation Society said that while they support Mr Tonkins as an employee, they do not condone his actions towards the animal.
"Taronga strongly opposes the striking of animals and does not support the practice of using dogs to hunt, as this can result in negative welfare for both species," the statement read.
"We support the Guidelines outlined by the Department of Environment and Heritage in the event of confrontation with a kangaroo.
"Mr Tonkins is an experienced zoo keeper and during his six years at Taronga Western Plains Zoo has always followed Taronga's best practice approach to animal care and welfare.
"We confirm that there is no suggestion of Mr Tonkins' employment at Taronga Western Plains Zoo ending as a result of this event.
"However, the highest standards of animal welfare and care are a core value of Taronga and one that we expect our staff to uphold in all their interactions with wildlife and we continue to work with Mr Tonkins on his conduct in regards to this incident."
In an interview with news.com.au, Mathew Amor - who is a friend of Mr Tonkins said it was totally out of character for his flanno wearing friend to hit the marsupial.
"My mate only stunned it," Mr Amor said.
"His hand was OK, he didn't hit it very hard at all.
"It was funny because the guy who did it is the most placid bloke. We laughed at him for chucking such a shit punch."
Taronga Zoo said in a statement that they are investigating the situation, and "will consider appropriate action" on Mr Tonkins.
The boar hunting trip where the kangaroo punch occurred was organised on behalf of Kailem Barwick, who died of cancer last week.
The 19-year-old's dying wish was to go on a boar-hunting trip with his mates.
"Basically Kailem wanted to catch a boar," Mr Amor said.
"And so a few of us got together to take him out, and another mate filmed more than an hour of video to put together as a DVD for Kailem and his family of the trip.
