Kangaroos Cracked Out on Common Vegetables are Turning Violent

Do not feed the kangaroos. In fact, it’s probably best to not feed any wild animals. But mostly, and I can not stress this enough, do not feed the kangaroos. While this should be self-evident, visitors at the Morisset Hospital grounds in Australia have found out that feeding the kangaroos is not going well.

Two hours north of Sydney, the grounds have become a popular sightseeing destination because of a cohort of wild kangaroos that reside in the area. Tourists descend upon the region with selfie sticks in one hand and snacks — usually a carrot — in the other, ready to bait the extremely not-domesticated creatures into the perfect photo op. Some visitors escape with the ‘grams, but others are not so fortunate and have taken home gashes instead.

Apparently, the influx of carrots has induced the kangaroo equivalent of a chocolate bar-induced sugar rush, which not only contributes to erratic kangaroo behavior but is also bad for their health.

“There are people getting kicked and scratched at least every day,” shuttle bus driver Shane Lewis told the Australian news outlet ABC. “One lady got 17 stitches in her face from her eye to her chin.” (For some context, male kangaroos can grow over 6 feet tall and weigh up to 200 pounds — that’s a lot of kangaroo to fend off.)

Feeding the kangaroos doesn’t just pose a personal risk. Because so many visitors have been feeding the kangaroos, they can be quite aggressive when there are no snacks to be had. One poor fellow didn’t even have any food but was still attacked.

To be fair to the grounds, it’s not like there isn’t any warning about the risks of feeding kangaroos. There is ample signage in the area advising visitors to keep a safe distance, and Lewis is constantly asking tourists to leave any food behind when they visit Morisset Hospital. Kangaroos have also been involved in high-profile occasions before, including an insane spectacle where a kangaroo head-locked a dog only to get punched in the face by the dog’s owner.

Still, despite the apparent danger of approaching kangaroos and other imposing creatures, people keep getting way too close.

So if you plan to visit Morisset Hospital, remember this riff on the old adage from a classic children’s story: “If you give a kangaroo a carrot, it will cut you.”