Two cyclists had a harrowing encounter with a jumping kangaroo who leaped on top of them while they were out for a picturesque ride near Clare Valley in South Australia.
Sharon Heinrich, one of the women out cycling, said it was her first time riding the popular trail near the region’s wine country.
She looked up while cycling with her friend Helen Salter and saw a kangaroo standing on a ledge.
Heinrich’s first thought, she said in an interview with the Northern Argus, was ‘oh, isn’t that cute?’
A second later, however, the huge marsupial was on top of her.
Without warning, the roo had leaped onto the trail and landed on top of Heinrich and then using his legs, he launched into Salter.
Mrs Heinrich suspects the kangaroo was a male buck, based on its size.
I’m 5’4” and he was taller than me, and so heavy,” she said.
Once he landed on me, he used me to launch off again, which caused more damage.”
Helen Salter was also knocked from her bike during the encounter and suffered a concussion.
The ordeal left Mrs Heinrich with three cracked ribs, covered in grazes and kangaroo paw scratch marks down her back.
She will also require further surgery in Adelaide next week.
“When the surgeon saw me in Adelaide he said I was lucky to be alive – kangaroos are solid muscle and incredibly powerful. When he landed he went completely through me, if he had become caught in the bike the outcome would be a lot different,” she said.
With further surgery scheduled for next week, the incident has left Mrs Heinrich calling for kangaroo warning signs to be placed on the trail.
I live on a farm in the region, I know kangaroos are around here,” she said. But tourists from the city have no idea – I really think there needs to be signs placed along the trail to warn people about them.
They jump without warning and at the last minute – people need to be careful.”
There is also talks in the town of the plague number of kangaroos around and hopefully something can be looked at before we have a more serious situation.”
h/t: Northern Argus
