Following the sounds down to his dam, he found two dogs attacking what he thought was a dead kangaroo.

“It was was two dogs I had seen roaming around before in the process of trying to eat a dead kangaroo,” Mr Wälterlin said. 

He began to film the attack, before realising the animal was alive.

Mr Wälterlin, a volunteer with WIRES, chased the dogs away and attempted to call his son to bring the rifle down to the dam so he could euthanise the kangaroo.

Unable to get a signal he headed up to his home to retrieve the rifle himself.

“I rushed up because I was worried the dogs may come back,” he said.

When he returned the kangaroo was standing and looked “surprisingly well”.

“Two hours later he was gone and I thought ‘that is good, he has gone and managed to survive’, but sadly the following morning we found him up on the hill dead,” he said.

Upon close inspection of the dead kangaroo he could see the wounds the dogs had inflicted.

Mr Wälterlin, who has lost stock in the past to dogs, said he was concerned that dogs that are “free or running wild” could inflict the same damage on landholders’ stock.

“The economic loss is one thing, but the big thing is it is extremely cruel,” he said.

“Whether it is sheep, kangaroos or wombats, we can see how extremely cruel these animals can be treated by these dogs. They are clearly suffering,” he said.

Mr Wälterlin said he believes dog owners need to be responsible when it comes to keeping their dogs contained.

“They can become vicious killers,” he said.

“It is not the dogs fault, it is the people’s fault.” 

The Goulburn Mulwaree Council Rangers can be contacted on 02 4823 4409.