A woman suffered a punctured lung, broken ribs and other internal injuries after a kangaroo she was feeding attacked her in north-east Australia, it was reported Sunday.

Linda Smith, 64, was feeding around 30 kangaroos and wallabies in Toowoomba, Queensland with her husband late Saturday when a two-metre tall animal attacked her husband Jim and pinned him to the ground.

‘I went outside to try and help him and took a broom and a piece of bread, but he knocked the broom out of my hand then attacked me,’ she told the national broadcaster ABC.

‘I got him off Jim and Jim got up and I managed to grab a piece of wood to defend myself with that. Then my son came out to try and help me and hit him over the head with a shovel.’  Despite their placid appearance, kangaroos can be fierce fighters, rearing up on their tails and raking the stomachs of opponents with their back feet which have big claws.

 They can box with their short front paws and have been known to inflict injuries.

Wildlife officers warn people not to approach wild kangaroos, particularly big males.

 Despite her injuries Smith, who has been caring for wildlife for 15 years, said it was an ‘act of nature’ and did not want the animal harmed.

She said it was breeding time and males could be aggressive. On top of that, kangaroos are struggling to survive in the severe drought that is affecting large swathes of Australia and can fight over food.

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