A family pet saved an elderly Australian woman from a rogue kangaroo that attacked her on a farm in New South Wales.

Rosemary Neal, 65, was walking through a mob of kangaroos to look after some horses in a paddock at the farm near Mudgee, 160 miles northwest of Sydney.

Her son Darren said the area was overrun with the large marsupials, which rarely attack people, and she had felt entirely safe in their company.

But then, a large male kangaroo inches taller than the 5'6 foot Mrs Neal, suddenly lunged at her.

"The kangaroo has just jumped up and launched straight at her," he told local newspapers. "He hit her once and she just dropped and rolled. My dog heard her screaming and bolted down and chased him off.

©Unknown

"If it wasn't for the dog she'd probably be dead."

Mrs Neal was discharged from hospital, but her son said she was in "a bad way".

"Her face has been ripped apart, her hand has been mauled, and she's got scratches all over her back and concussion," he said. "Her whole body is sore where she has dropped to the ground."

Kangaroos are common across the whole Australian landmass and there are dozens of species ranging from tiny, 17-ounce potoroos to Red Kangaroos, the world's largest marsupial that can grow past 6 feet tall and weigh more than 200 pounds.

Mr Neal said there were lots of the animals in the area of Mudgee.

"There would be a couple of hundred kangaroos within a hundred metres of the house," he said.