Wallaby Bicycle Crash Puts Australian Woman in Critical Condition

(Oct. 5) -- Wallabies are known for being cute, furry, mini-kangaroo-like marsupials, but that doesn't mean they can't be dangerous as well.

Case in point: This week, a wallaby leaped out into a road and collided with a 55-year-old Australian cyclist, knocking her to the ground, inflicting serious head injuries and putting her in critical condition, according to multiple international reports.

A zookeeper feeds a wallaby at Sydney's Wildlife World in Australia in 2007.

Greg Wood, AFP / Getty Images

Sure, they're cute. But wallabies, like these at Sydney's Wildlife World, have been the cause of many accidents in which humans are injured.

The woman, whose identity has not been released, was said to be wearing a helmet at the time of the jarring collision and traveling with two other companions. At last report, she remained in the care of Royal Brisbane and Women's Hospital in Queensland, not far from the site of the accident. The whereabouts and condition of the wallaby are unknown, to say nothing of its motivation for jumping in the way of an oncoming bicycle.

However, this is hardly the first time wallabies have proved to be a menace to humans on the go.

As a Royal Brisbane and Women's Hospital spokesperson told Surge Desk, "There's a lot of car accidents with kangaroos and wallabies, but I haven't heard of one involving a cyclist before."

And sure enough, studies indicate that in some parts of the country, wallabies remain among the leading cause of vehicular wrecks. In an effort to avoid a mob of them, a pilot accidentally crashed an ultralight plane last month.

And lest you think that all of these wallabies are just innocently, naively stumbling into people, consider the fact that they are also known to be aggressive, even with small children. That being said, they are an endangered species and remain an Australian icon, enjoying far better rapport with the locals there than across the water in New Zealand, where they are considered forest-killing pests.

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