Girl Feared Being Killed In Kangaroo Attack

A seven-year-old girl who suffered cuts and bruises after being attacked by a wild kangaroo in Australia has said she thought she was going to die.

Makayla McEvoy was playing near a group of the marsupials at a campsite when one charged at her, pinned her to the ground, and kicked her in the face, arms and back.

Describing the attack, the schoolgirl, who is now recovering after being treated for her wounds, said she was "very, very scared".

She added: "I thought I was going to die. All I could see was grey, grey, grey".

The ordeal happened at Wyangala Dam, a popular picnic and camping area about 300km (186 miles) west of Sydney.

"It just jumped on her back and knocked her to the ground and started. It was just jumping up and jumping up on top of her and scratching her," said Makayla's mother, Emma McGovern.

Her step-father, Mitch McGovern, ran to save her.

He said: "As I jumped over the top of Makayla to get rid of the kangaroo, all I could see was she was laying, sort of, face down on the ground with her shirt was all ripped, and her back was cut.

"There was no noise, I thought the worst."

Mrs McGovern added: "Honestly, I thought she was dead. She didn't make any noise. She didn't scream for help."

Mr McGovern said he struggled to fight off the kangaroo.

"As I went to turn back, it actually came back at me, jumped and kicked me in the back of the leg," he said.

Makayla was rushed to hospital where her wounds were treated.

Despite the ordeal, it has not put her off hoping to be a veterinary surgeon one day. "Because I love animals," she said.

Grey kangaroos can grow as tall as 2.8 metres (9ft), and weigh up to 66 kilograms (10 stone).

The park management said they will put up signs to warn people about kangaroo attacks.

The Eastern Grey Kangaroo is found in southern and eastern Australia, with a population of several million.

They normally avoid interaction with humans, and there have only been a handful of recorded attacks on people.