Dramatic footage has emerged of a tourist getting into a brawl with a kangaroo at a Perth wildlife sanctuary where animals roam freely, but a park spokesperson has denied the roo is dangerous.
The two-minute-long video was posted to TikTok on Sunday and shows an American man attempting to control a very persistent kangaroo.
But the Cohunu Koala Park spokesperson reassured visitors the “roo was just being playful”.
“Sometimes the kangaroos act like that, but they are really just playing…it’s a natural thing,” they said.
“The more you encourage them, the more they will react.”
The video — which has been viewed more than 15 million times — was filmed by the man’s daughter, with the caption reading: “My dad was just trying to make sure that kangaroo stopped getting frisky with that lady.”
The clip began with the kangaroo chasing a woman, prompting the man to step in the middle of the two.
However, that didn’t seem to stop the kangaroo as it continued to square up to the tourist on its hind legs, managing to get in a few kicks.
The man continued to fight back, at one point grabbing the kangaroo by its neck in an attempt to keep it down.
When asked about the layout of the park, the spokesperson said Cohunu allows many of the animals to “free-roam,” letting visitors get right up close and hand-feed them – including the kangaroos.
“We like to allow the animals to roam freely. It makes it more of a natural habitat, unlike a zoo.”
“Some people get frightened but most visitors really enjoy interacting with the animals.”
The spokesperson said none of their animals were aggressive, as they would not be allowed to roam freely if they were.
“The kangaroo in the video is in an enclosed area, and visitors are allowed to enter.”
In the video, a younger man is seen coming to the tourist’s aid, trying to keep the roo at bay.
But that didn’t seem to help, as a moment later the kangaroo launched both its legs at them while balancing on its tail.
The men didn’t seem too distressed as they are seen laughing during the ordeal.
After a few more pushes from both sides, the kangaroo seemingly settled down when a staff member intervened, telling the two men to walk away.
‘Cut it out, cut it out, naughty boy,’ she said to the roo as it crouched back on all fours.
The two men in the video were left unscathed, with the playful kangaroo putting down its boxing gloves for the day.
The wildlife sanctuary, which was established in 1982, houses a range of animals from wallabies, and emus to dingoes and koalas.
The park has also and has also been visited by the likes of Michael Jackson, Dolly Parton and Colonel Sanders.