From The Age (Australia):
A BLACK Saturday survivor feared for his life during a wombat mauling in Flowerdale yesterday that lasted up to half an hour and only ended when he was saved by a neighbour.
Bruce Kringle, who lost his house in the deadly blaze, was in hospital last night recovering from bites and lacerations sustained in the ferocious attack. Early yesterday morning, Mr Kringle, 60, was walking down the steps of the caravan he is living in while his house is rebuilt when the wombat attacked. The crazed animal bit and scratched Mr Kringle, who tried to escape but kept being knocked over.
Mr Kringle eventually lay on the animal until a neighbour, known only as Rob, heard his cries for help. After telling Mr Kringle to move off the animal, the neighbour killed it with a blow from the back of an axe...
Experts were yesterday divided as to why a wombat, a herbivorous and usually docile animal, would attack. Department of Sustainability and Environment wildlife officer Geoff McClure said that in 34 years in the job he had never heard a story like this. He said the animal had probably been hand-reared and was bumping the glass to draw attention to itself...
Which must rank as the most laughable explanation for a 'herbivorous and usually docile animal' to attack a human that I have seen so far.
Emailed in by JuliaM.
Tuesday 6 April 2010
"Wombat mauls bushfire survivor"
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10 comments:
I did detect the famous Auudie deadpan humour here: "Neighbour Don Dawson, who saw the wombat's body, said this did not appear to be the case. ''It looked quite healthy apart from the fact it was dead,'' he said."
*Aussie
Damn keyboard!
JM, and the creature had had its head smashed in. There also appears to be no direct connection between the bushfire and the attack.
The only wombat attack I know of resulted from a bushwalker prodding a wombat with his boot. The bite cut through the boot right to the bone. Medics visited the hospital from all over Queensland - perhaps the only chance in a career to see a wombat bite.
Mind you "Mr Kringle eventually lay on the animal until .." rather suggests that we should enquire whether Mr Kringle is a retired Roman Catholic priest.
A rich seam being mined all the way through that article. Could almost convince one the Aussies did have a sense of humour.
Nah, couldn't be.
I've just read the article and am very disappointed. There's no sign that they tried out wombat terrine, for example.
Lay on the animal!!
loving it
Probably the last bloody wombat in Oz too. Where's Greenpeace when you need 'em?
Rather odd really. You usually see wombats laying on their back wuth their feet in the air - dead - by the roadside.
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