Zakkiah Galea, a two-year-old boy from New South Wales, Australia, was playing with his toy wheelbarrow when he was bowled over by a kangaroo which then pinned him down and tried to claw him to death.

The terrified parents ran at the animal and managed to chase it away – but not before it left the toddler with severe wounds to his face and body.

Nicole Galea, Zakkiah’s mother told how the aggressive kangaroo left her in fear that her son had received fatal injuries in the attack on the family’s ten-acre property at Port Macquarie, in northern New South Wales.

Nicole Galea, who is eight-months pregnant, said: “The kangaroo was on top of him. He was pinned to the ground while it clawed at his forearms.

“I screamed at the kangaroo to get off him but it wouldn’t – it just kept on attacking.”

Zakkiah Galea was playing with his toy wheelbarrow when he was bowled over by a kangaroo which then pinned him down and tried to claw him to death

It was only when Zakkiah’s father, Andrew Galea, rushed to help his wife fight off the kangaroo that the animal finally ran off into nearby bushland.

“It turned on Andrew first before hopping away,” Nicole Galea told Sydney’s Daily Telegraph.

“It was just awful to see Zakkiah. He had a bloody face and blood had soaked through his shirt.

“There was a deep puncture in his chest and a gash on the top of his leg. He had two large gouges from his mouth to his ear.”

Last night, Zakkiah Galea was recovering at home from his wounds that required 13 stitches.

Nicle Galea said: “He scared. He says he doesn’t want to be attacked by the <<tiger kangaroo>> again.”

Other people in the remote neighbourhood have been attacked by kangaroos, said Nicole Galea, and she suspected urban development was to blame – new houses forcing the animals into human environment.

Peter Clark from the National Parks and Wildlife Service said people should be aware that kangaroos are wild animals of substantial size and power and might react instinctively and attack if they are startled.

He suggested that people living close to kangaroos should fence off their properties and remove food, shelter and water opportunities.

Peter Clark also suggesting turning on water sprinklers to discourage the animals from gathering.