2 female cyclists in South Australia suffer injuries due to attack by a vicious kangaroo

Except for some protest by animal rights groups, the decision to cull almost 2,000 kangaroos in Australia was accepted by the public. Although the animal is a symbol of the country, Aussies are aware of the danger to having too many roos bouncing around.

The dangers include the kangaroos suddenly crossing roads, risking the marsupial’s life and people inside vehicles. In some cases, it could be a kangaroo attack as what two cyclists in South Australia experienced.

The Telegraph reports that a vicious roo pounced on 45-year-old Sharon Heinrich and 47-year-old Helen Salter while the pair were cycling along Riesling Trail in Clare Valley on Wednesday. As a result, Heinrich has three cracked ribs, while Salter had a concussion.

According to Heinrich, she saw from the corner of her eye a kangaroo up on a ledge. She initially thought the animal was cute until it jumped on top of her and then on Salter. “We flew probably one-and-a-half metres after he hit us. I was on the ground and couldn’t breathe for about 10 minutes. I couldn’t talk,” Heinrich recalls.

Salter stood up and stayed with Heinrich until she could breathe again. Then the two cyclists got on their bikes again and rode to a business establishment half a kilometre away to seek help since they did not bring their phones, reports Northernangus. It was the first time that the two women biked the popular trail.

Heinrich, who stands 5 feet, 4 inches, describes the attacking marsupial as taller and heavier than her. A surgeon who examined her in Adelaide says she is lucky to be alive because kangaroos have solid muscles and are incredibly powerful.

Following the incident, the two women – who work at Helping Hand Carinya – pushed for the placing of warning signs along the trail for bikers and hikers to be aware of the danger that lurks.