That Viral Kangaroo Punching Video Has A Surprisingly Sad Backstory
Aside from the dog getting literally strangled by a kangaroo. That is obviously also sad.
This week the internet combined its love of animals being incredibly freaky and all things Straya to send this video viral.
At this point, it’s impossible to count how many times it’s been viewed. It’s been shared and re-shared by every person who’s ever loved a dog (every person on the internet), and punching a roo in the face is now essentially a shorthand for friendship and devotion.
You haven’t known real love until someone has regretfully assaulted an animal that’s on our Coat of Arms for you.
But it turns out the full story behind all this is even more touching. In an interview with news.com.au, one of the roo-puncher’s mates has said the video was part of a longer DVD they’d made for their terminally ill friend. The footage had come from a hunting trip they’d taken in June this year to cheer him up.
“This hunting trip was put together for a sick young man called Kailem who passed away from cancer last week,” said Mathew Amor. “Basically Kailem wanted to catch a boar, and so a few of us got together to take him out, and another mate filmed more than an hour of video to put together as a DVD for Kailem and his family of the trip.”
Kailem was just 19 years old and passed away after battling a rare bone cancer, Ewing Sarcoma, for the past two years. He married his girlfriend from his hospital bed last week.
The man who punched the roo, Greig Tonkins, has copped some heat since the video’s gone viral. He is a zookeeper at Taronga Western Plains Zoo in Dubbo and his work will reportedly be investigating the “exact circumstances of the event” and “consider any appropriate action” against him. Though kangaroos are largely peaceful animals, they do have a documented history of violence against dogs and their owners when they step in to help.
Though Tonkins hasn’t made any public comment, his friends seem to be taking it in good spirits. “Kailem would be looking down from up there and laughing because it was the highlight of the trip,” Matthew said.
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You can read more about Kailem’s battle with cancer at his GoFundMe page. His family are encouraging donations to Lifehouse. Due to its rarity, Ewing Sarcoma only receives 1.4 percent of cancer research funding.