Man Who Assaulted Kangaroo Is Leaving Many People Divided On His Motives

[Music] but before we start please make sure to subscribe to m r tv and hit the bell so you never miss any upload from us also leave a like right now when greg tonkins left for a hunting excursion with a bunch of friends he had no idea he'd end up on the front page of the news then again he never expected to have a run-in with a group of aggressive kangaroos either but somehow he found himself squaring up with nature's best boxers and some dire consequences he never expected to say greg tonkin's love the outdoors was a massive understatement he was an outdoorsman through and through and few joys in life matched taking his hunting dog out for some fresh air he made a habit out of that and it got him into trouble tonkins frequently took legal hunting trips throughout the australian bush with his crew members and each one of their dogs even though tonkins worked closely with hunting dogs his career proved he loved animals from every walk of life he worked as an elephant keeper at the taronga western plains zoo in dubbo australia one afternoon he cut his day of work short to take a special hunting excursion to benefit a close friend sadly his buddy caleb barwick was suffering from terminal cancer and he wanted to take potentially one last trip with the boys in case he wasn't around for the next one the team happily agreed everyone attending the trip was close to barwick and even though an air of sadness hung over the outing everyone was all smiles as they set out to hunt boars wild boars are an invasive and extremely aggressive species throughout australia they were legal to hunt due to the problems they caused but not long into the team's journey the crew stumbled into a different animal one a little more respected than wild boars it was a large male kangaroo and he seemed startled by the men's presence in the bush tonkin's dog immediately sensed danger and he along with another canine approached the marsupial that's when all hell broke loose tonkin's pooch charged the kangaroo aggressively and backed it into a small pool of water however the scuffle moved back onto land in the flurry of splashes and tonkins instantly realized the danger his dog was in somehow the kangaroo placed the dog in a choke hold without pausing to think tonkins completely disregarding his own safety ran to save his dog's life as tonkins approached the kangaroo sensed the looming physical altercation and released the dog tonkins was driven to protect his friend and squared up with the roux one of the team members caught the incredible bout on camera tonkins in the marsupial danced around each other with fists held high suddenly tonkins threw a right hook and connected with the animal's face the kangaroo clearly in shock by the punch stumbled back and ran away in defeat tonkin's friends watched in awe as he returned to the jeep feeling like a wrestling champion he was proud he saved his dog no one was severely injured but then the video ended up online and tonkins entered a second fight animal loving people at peta were outraged the kangaroo had already let the dog go why did tonkin still square up for a punch other critics online voiced their anger and tonkins was deeply affected by outpouring of rage [Music] naturally tonkins kept a low profile while the anger blossomed thankfully fellow zoo workers were on his side about the courageous and according to national geographic explorer marco festa bianchette extremely precarious situation he knew kangaroos are no joke the guy's very lucky because he could have been killed said the explorer even though movies and cartoons might portray kangaroos as friendly when they feel threatened they attack in a deadly fashion just their legs pack a punch the back legs of kangaroos are figuratively spring-loaded with brute force and their claws are razor sharp tonkins is lucky he didn't take a kick to the body if the kangaroo had done that to the guy festa bianchette said it could have disemboweled him fortunately tonkins made it out unscathed and even though he did assault the animal he wanted people to know he had no ill feelings toward the species they love me and i love them he said on a social media post everyone knows how much i love them tonkin said that's the funny thing about the haters i've raised more joeys than them everyone who knows me knows what i've always been like with animals even though i hunt look at the pictures they don't lie beyond the negative press an even darker shadow hung over the trip it was in fact caleb barwick's last one he passed away from cancer several months later the friends had a lot to digest tonkins resumed his role as an elephant keeper at the zoo but he'll never forget his brave actions during the special trip for his friend whenever critics confront him he simply points to any other instance humans fought animals to protect loved ones like greg tonkins the o'reilly spent far more time outside their house than in ian and allison passed on their passion for the great outdoors to their kids before they could even walk but the parents never expected to place their children in danger see around the o'reilly's home in exeter police were trying to track down an animal culprit harassing locals one 62 year old woman and her frightened dogs had to flee when a predator chased them out of the woods another resident got a much better look at the beast he was just driving down the road when a wild coyote attempted to attack him through his car the glass and steel protected him though it didn't make sense why the animal was so aggressive alison and ian heard these reports but didn't worry about them too much after all new hampshire was a big place full of wildlife they wouldn't let a couple scares ruin their plans for a wintry hike in 2020. the five o'reillys were retracing a trek they'd completed just a few weeks prior it took just about two and a half hours the perfect amount of time to stretch their legs without tiring the kids out what could go wrong the second journey began much like the first everyone took in the picturesque views and shared jokes and stories they were having such a fun time that nobody noticed a stranger was stalking them against all odds the coyote found them in the new england wilderness the o'reillys didn't see the feral canine at first until it announced its presence in the most horrifying way imaginable it pounced on their preschool-aged son alison yanked him out from under the creature not yet realizing the threat they were facing instead the couple was thinking it was a dog off-leash who just bumped into their sun then the truth clicked in ian's mind this was no dog this was a bloodthirsty predator and they were the prey not knowing what else to do the dad stepped between the coyote and his family he was terrified of what would happen next ian's top priority was getting his wife and kids to safety he yelled at them to run as fast as they could turning back toward the coyote ian lifted his heavy hiking boot and kicked its ribs with all his might that only made the rabbit canine even angrier it knocked into the ground toppling him just as easily as it did his young child and bit at his chest fangs tore right through the hiker's winter jacket and punctured his skin ian managed to spot his family vanishing in the distance and he shouted for them to keep moving at that moment his terror gave way to anger what business did this animal have for attacking his family ian was going to teach it a lesson a talented endurance athlete ian clamped his hands around the canine snout and squeezed its body between his legs that completely shut off any airflow in the predator's windpipe that coyote was very much interested in living but so were we he later reflected ian didn't let the coyote go as it could easily sprint off and go after his kids exhausted he kept up the pressure until the animal stopped breathing he realized he'd killed the beast out of pure instinct like it was almost like a logical next step of course ian was much worse for the wear every muscle in his body shook with fatigue and he was bleeding all over from claw and bite marks the father limped back to his family and alison whisked him off to the hospital the o'reillys have been surprisingly well adjusted since the harrowing attack alison's work as a ptsd trauma expert helped them all though their youngest had trouble sleeping in his own bed afterwards and this wasn't the o'reilly's only brush with danger as much as they traveled the o'reilly family had their first brush with the uglier side of nature in their own backyard ian was startled when he heard his son utter a cry of delight followed by a scream it turned out a raccoon a rabid one at that was living under their porch the vicious creature bit the o'reilly boy on his knee as alison pulled him away from the raccoon a scab on her hand was exposed to his wound both mother and son needed rabies vaccinations afterward but made immediate recoveries in a sense ian counted himself lucky as unfortunate as the raccoon attack was the family is hopefully predator-free for the foreseeable future but ian is still traumatized the rustle of a bush still makes ian's heartbeat faster but he doesn't let that fear keep him from his outdoor adventures he can at least take comfort in knowing he defended his family however a debate regarding natural predators is splitting wildlife enthusiasts all over the country if you were hiking through a remote part of california a few years ago you might have been warned about grizzly bears but the chances of coming face to face with any other potentially dangerous animals especially wolves wasn't very likely in fact coming across an actual wolf sounds fairly far-fetched to a regular tourist or hiker in the early 1920s though this was a different story back then wolves prowled california's remote forests and farms alike which posed a dangerous problem because of this farmers and wolves were constantly at odds farmers often hunted wolves in hopes of avoiding a barnyard massacre they couldn't have known then the damage they were inflicting and not just on the wolves in 1924 the very last gray wolf was killed for the next 90 years california didn't have any wolves in an area that could support up to 500 of them unbeknownst to farmers the species absence shifted the balance of the ecosystem they used to inhabit wolves keep elk and deer in check which helps vegetation not get overeaten that vegetation provides nesting habitat for migrant birds and building materials for beavers which create ponds for frogs and fish said biologist amarak whis and this domino effect was not only noticed by biologists see if something good came out of the mass wolf killings in the 20s it's that the negative effects alerted researchers nationwide to the dwindling population of gray wolves so in 1975 the gray wolf received federal endangered species protection but there weren't any wolves left to protect that is until 2011 when one lone grey wolf wandered into siskiyou county from oregon biologists were stunned by the sudden reemergence without a pact to lead or to protect him this endangered wolf had traveled into an entirely new state and immediately became an icon though biologists designated him or7 activists named him journey in honor of his daring cross state trek a gps caller tracked and recorded his personal hike as well as his encounters with other animals according to his gps caller journey found a mate likely another migrated wolf and added five pups to the state's gray wolf population he then migrated back to oregon and fathered more pups it seemed like those were the last wild wolf pups california would ever see it was believed that as of 2015 the population of wild gray wolves in california was an alarmingly small seven since two of the seven wolves were wearing gps collars biologists thought that enough of the state's wolves were being tracked so imagine biologists shock when in 2019 two adult wolves were seen caring for three young pups in california biologists had no idea these wolves were even there let alone that they were having pups even more unexpected was the way biologists discovered the pack the pack was seen hunting and resting on a trail camera in a remote part of lassen county the three pups snacked on grass and howled at each other before passing through though it only lasts a minute the footage created a huge stir in the environmental community having wolves return to california is one of the most significant environmental developments and conservation in this state weiss asserted this sounds like triumphant news for the conservationists and activists everywhere but some people are far from happy about the wolves return farmers and hunters have always tried to subdue the wolf population in california in order to protect their valuable sheep and cattle and this didn't change when california's fish and game commission granted gray wolves special protection under the state's endangered species act in 2014 now that the population seems to be slowly ratcheting upwards farmers are once again in fear of their livestock being hunted when california's farm bureau federation took the matter to the court the fate of the wolves was put into jeopardy farmers weren't the only group threatening california's wolf population either the federal government too pushed to remove gray wolves from the endangered species list meaning they would no longer benefit from federal protection everything it seemed would all come down to the lawsuit in the end the consensus among the scientific community and the court was clear no matter what happened at a federal level california's gray wolves would be protected under state law in a perfect world this would keep the gray wolves safe from hunters if they're coming from the oregon side of the border or from nevada once they set a paw down in california they are protected weiss said but these idealistic words would not become a reality anytime soon late last year a california-born wolf pack mysteriously vanished in remote siskiyou county since biologists weren't able to collar any pack members they may never know what happened to the pack what's more they're not the only mystery to play california's department of fish and wildlife they're also investigating the death of a young wolf that was mysteriously killed in modoc county it was handled as a criminal investigation and the police warned the public that killing a wolf is a potential crime punishable with imprisonment these tragic events only make the recent pact sighting on the trail camera all the more inspiring despite the resistance from the farming community biologists remain hopeful that the wolves will one day lead many wild packs across california and beyond anyone doubting the importance of wolves need look no further than yellowstone national park in the 80s and early 90s the beautiful scenery was completely ravaged and it was all thanks to the wolves or lack thereof see as mentioned before 1926 yellowstone national park was full of wolves they thrived there but within the first few decades of the 1900s government predator control programs wiped them out entirely this was a problem no one saw another wolf until 1977 about 50 years later but even then it was a lone wolf or two merely wandering through oddly it was the lack of these wolves that led to the park's decline with no predators to fear the deer population absolutely exploded they could eat and over graze all they wanted without worrying about wolves soon the forests and meadows were barren but the deer and their ilk kept at it as the deer kept grazing taking all the resources for themselves the other animals suffered creatures that dined on fauna stood no chance in the food race against deer animals that ate those animals saw their food supply dwindle and the rapid loss of vegetation didn't just leave the forest bare without vegetation keeping the soil in place the rivers that ran through yellowstone began eroding which prompted the loss of many animal species who relied on healthy waters to survive yellowstone was struggling and park employees needed to find a solution it really all boiled down to the high numbers of deer they knew so in 1995 they hatched a plan the deer needed predators plain and simple and workers figured this would be the perfect time to reintroduce wolf packs into yellowstone packs of gray wolves were released into the park and hopeful employees prayed it was the answer now the deer were suddenly thrust back into the predator vs prey world and even though there were far fewer wolves than deer the wolves were fearsome hunters they welcomed the challenge day and night the battle ensued and the wolves were the victors nearly every time this relationship between the wolves and deer is known as top down control top down control is when predators who sit atop the food chain assist with the regulation of the animals who are beneath them that's exactly what happened when the wolves were reintroduced with deer numbers dwindling the vegetation flourished aspen and willow trees that hadn't seen a successful life for decades finally grew back tenfold and it seemed they were healthier than ever but the trees were just the very beginning of the massive change the waterways running through the parks began changing and the regenerated vegetation growing on the riverbeds brought with it a whole new array of light not seen in such a long time for the first time in forever beavers returned to the water they began constructing their intricate dams which contributed to a habitat that attracted a variety of reptiles otters and muskrats because of the increased vegetation mice and rabbits thrived which in turn gave the red fox an amazing feasting opportunity red fox numbers grew and still there was even more happening the number of bears also increased the deer had scoured bushes and ate the same berries the bears enjoyed but with the berries now finally plentiful again the bears could eat without a problem through it all the wolves gained a feathery friend ravens are known to follow behind wolves and picket the remains of whatever they hunt and kill the four-legged assassins were hard at work and those ravens were always close behind the new lush vegetation not only benefited from all of the animals but it helped drastically slow down and sometimes completely stop the erosion of riverbeds the changes were nothing short of miraculous incredibly the wolves although nowhere near as abundant in numbers as the deer they hunted managed to not only change the ecosystem but the physical geography of yellowstone national park it was a feat that had every park employee and wolf howling with joyous pride what's most shocking about this development was how few wolves it took to really change yellowstone for the better still this reflects a human truth it only takes a handful of people to make a huge difference you