When Animals Attack!

SOMEBODY IS WATCHING YOU

Animal: Kangaroo

Where: New South Wales, Australia

What Happened: An Australian woman, Kirrily McWilliams, claims that an aggressive female kangaroo stalked her before attacking her. The animal was hanging around McWilliams' house for several days, but Wildlife Services refused to remove the kangaroo, saying she should leave on her own. Instead of hopping off, the kangaroo cornered McWilliams when she was leaving her car and beat her. Fortunately, no serious injuries resulted from this one-sided boxing match.

NOT SO PLEASURE CRUISE

Animal: Crocodile

Where: Kimberly, Australia

What Happened: Things went from peaceful to panicky when a cruise boat let passengers off in Australian waters to take a dip. One of the crew members was bitten on the leg in shallow water by a crocodile. She survived the attack thanks to a passenger who pulled her away from the animal. The captain of the boat claims that the water was checked for crocs prior to the swim. 

CREEPY CRAWLIES 

Animal: Venomous Spiders

Where: Guwahati, India

What Happened: Swarms of this tarantula-like spider are appearing in an Indian town. Doctors are unsure what type of arachnid it is, but are seeing a rising number of bites. The town is treating the area to fight against the spider, but the pest's powerful bite has already claimed the lives of two people. 

SURVIVING THE STING

Animal: Box Jellyfish

Where: Queensland, Australia 

What Happened: 10-year-old Rachel Shardlow astounded doctors when she survived numerous stings from the deadly box jellyfish. The girl's leg got tangled in the tentacles of the sea creature while she was swimming in a river with her brother. Her brother pulled her out of the water with the jellyfish still attached. Shardlow spent six weeks in a hospital recovering from the stings that are usually so painful they can cause heart failure in victims. (Sky News)

ATTACK KITTEN

Animal: Kitten 

Where: Speedway, Ind.

What Happened: A man called local police stating that a kitten he found in a wood pile attacked him and bit his hand. When a police officer arrived on the scene, he found the kitten to be very calm. The caller had a small and extremely minor injury on his thumb. (WRTV)

MANIC MOOSE

Animal: Moose

Where: Anchorage, Alaska

What Happened: Several Anchorage residents had a memorable Memorial Day, but not for the reasons one would hope. During the holiday, there were two different moose attacks. In both cases, the animal charged several unsuspecting people who were able to seek shelter before sustaining serious injuries. (Alaska Dispatch)

FORGIVE AND FORGET

Animal: Pit Bull

Where: Chicago, Ill.

What Happened: Bill Lesinski was taken by surprise when a neighborhood dog that he had known since the animal was a puppy attacked him and bit off his nose. Lesinski will require about $200,000 worth of surgery to reconstruct his face. Regardless, the man has forgiven the dog, stating that it is not the breed that is to blame but the owner who raised him. 

POSSUM PROBLEMS

Animal: Possum

Where: Kincumber, Australia 

What Happened: Keith Davies had the misfortune of meeting an extremely hostile late-night visitor. Davies heard scratching at the back door of his home. When he opened the door to investigate, a possum jumped up and attacked his leg. The animal tore through his pajamas, leaving Davies with cuts that required treatment at the hospital. (Express Advocate)

FEEDING TIME GONE WRONG

Animal: Alligator

Where: Everglades, Fla.

What Happened: An airboat captain from an Everglades tour company lost his hand after an alligator bit it off his arm in front of a group of tourists. Witnesses to the attack said that the man was feeding the gator prior to the injury and had done so on previous occasions. The captain is in stable condition, and doctors hope to reattach his hand. (NBC News)

TURKEY TROT

Animal: Wild Turkey

Where: Detroit, Mich.

What Happened: Edna Geisler has a real poultry problem. The woman is being stalked by a wild turkey that she not-so-fondly named Godzilla. The bird arrives on Geisler's property from the woods around 6 a.m. every day and stays until 7 p.m. Geisler says she is afraid to leave her home because the turkey charges and claws her whenever she tries to approach her car. For now, the woman is forced to adjust her schedule to avoid Godzilla until Animal Control steps in. (Detroit Free Press) 

BEAR NECESSITIES 

Animal: Bear

Where: Whistler, Canada

What Happened: A hot-tub-lounging tourist at a Whistler resort came to face to face with an uninvited guest. A bear came out of the woods and whacked the man on the back of the head with its paw. The guest quickly came to and realized what he was sharing the jacuzzi with. In response, the man grabbed his towel and rushed back into the resort. 

PLUS SIZE PESTS

Animal: Giant Snails

Where: Miami, Fla.

What Happened: Giant African snails, the size of a human hand, caused all kinds of destruction to the suburbs surrounding Miami. The slow-moving crawlers ooze an excrement that can cause meningitis in humans and also eats away at the foundations of houses. Officials believe the snails were brought into the area by a religious cult that believes the creatures hold healing properties. (NPR)