Man Punches Kangaroo In The Face To Avenge His Strangled Dog [Video]

In probably one of the most bizarre moments ever, an Australian man was filmed punching a kangaroo in the face to rescue his dog from the marsupial's chokehold. The video of the incident has gone viral on Facebook, garnering millions of views.

According to the National Geographic, the man was apparently pig hunting with his friends and dog in the New South Wales area of Australia, when he saw that a large kangaroo had forced his dog into a headlock. The man, who rushed to save his dog, has since been identified as Greig Tonkins, an elephant keeper at the Taronga Western Plains zoo.

The act of Tonkins approaching them seemed to have threatened the kangaroo that subsequently let go of the dog. Tonkins then took up a boxing stance, after which both man and animal looked like professional boxers engaged in a match. Following this, the zoo keeper punched the kangaroo in the face.

As per The Guardian, the punching act has outraged many animal right activists and social media users who have vented their feelings online. On Monday, the zoo pledged to think about appropriate actions after the video went viral, but later on said it had been "inundated with concern" for its employee.

"Mr Tonkins is an experienced zookeeper and during his six years at Taronga Western Plains Zoo has always followed Taronga's best practice approach to animal welfare and care," the zoo official stated. "We continue to work with Mr Tonkins on his conduct in regards to this incident."

Though the act has not been taken very well by animal lovers and animal rights activists, the moment looked rather hilarious, and right out of a spoof movie or parody. The expression on the kangaroo's face was also quite comical post punch. In fact, the 1980s cult song Eye of the Tiger by Survivor, which was also used as the theme song for Hollywood blockbuster Rocky III starring Sylvestor Stallone, could have been a fitting background music for the YouTube video.