A rogue kangaroo that attacked a young mother, leaving her with a 30cm scar, had bailed her up in the garden on two previous occasions.
Despite desperate calls to National Parks and Wildlife Services for help, she was told to ignore it and it would go away.
Two days before the attack Kirrily McWilliams was in the backyard of her property south of Port Macquarie when she was confronted by the growling female eastern grey kangaroo.
The next day she was in the backyard with her dog, a 65kg mastiff, when the same kangaroo got through the fence and grabbed the dog.
She phoned NPWS for help but was told to just ignore it.
That afternoon she was walking down the driveway to pick her daughter up from the school bus when she saw the kangaroo heading towards her at high speed.
With nothing to hide behind she dropped to the ground and curled up in a ball.
"If you stand and confront them they can easily tear you apart because that's what they do to each other," Mrs McWilliams said.
It pounded at her a number of times, scratching at her back before bounding away. She sustained a 30cm gash and other scratches on her back.
"It was lucky it was cool weather and I had two layers of clothing, otherwise it could have been worse," she said.
While she was at the hospital seeking attention, her husband was approached by the kangaroo in the backyard.
It went to attack but he kept it at bay with a shovel.
They again contacted NPWS but there was no reply.
She heard from NPWS a day later. It issued an immediate 48-hour permit to hire a shooter and kill the kangaroo.
But by that time the mad marsupial had moved on and attacked someone else.
Mrs McWilliams was disappointed by the response and attitude from NPWS.
"I'm for protecting kangaroos but there seems to be nothing in place to help people," she said.
"I had to be injured before they did anything. I have three children and it could have been one of them."
It's not the first time a kangaroo has lashed out.
Last year two-year-old Zakkia Galea was left bloodied and needing stitches after he was pinned to the ground by a female eastern grey kangaroo not far from where Mrs McWilliams was attacked.
NPWS said kangaroos were considered dangerous and its policy was to educate people on avoiding conflict.
The statement added a licence to harm/destroy a kangaroo was a last resort that was only issued after there was demonstrated aggressive behaviour exhibited or an attack.
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