‘This Monster Roo Wanted Blood & Almost Killed Us!'

A terrifying attack by a deranged boxing kangaroo left this animal-loving family fearing for their lives

- Lizzie Wilson

Queensland grandmother Linda Smith is best known in her local town of Millmerran as the “Roo Whisperer”.

Linda devotes a lot of her time caring for drought-stricken kangaroos, so it came as a complete shock last month when “one very hot-headed” eastern grey male buck mounted a frenzied attack on the 64-year-old, her husband Jim, 66, and their eldest boy Sonny, 40.

“He wanted blood, there’s no doubt in my mind,” Linda tells Woman’s Day in the family’s first interview since the attack.

“We feed up to 30 roos a day, especially during this crippling drought. A big grey mongrel of a thing with angry eyes took some feed and then suddenly lunged at Jim. There was blood and flesh and dust everywhere. I screamed my lungs out – I thought we were dead!”

Linda still finds it difficult to talk about what happened next.