By Heather McNeill
In yet another fine example of the Australian outback, footage of a man punching a kangaroo in the face after it had his dog in a headlock has gone viral.
The video started clocking up millions of views on Sunday but its origins were unknown, with an American man posting the footage to his Facebook on Saturday, only commenting it was sent to him from his "buddy in Australia".
The man punches the kangaroo. Credit: Facebook
It has since been revealed the footage was shot in June at a rural property in Condobolin, New South Wales and was part of a hunting trip organised for a 19-year-old man who was dying of cancer.
It showed Dubbo zoo keeper, Greig Tonkins racing to help his pet dog 'Max' as it is held in a headlock by a large kangaroo.
The man rushes to save his dog who is in the kangaroo's grip. Credit: Facebook
As the man approaches, the kangaroo kicks the dog in its front legs as the canine tries desperately to escape its grip.
Just as things begin to look dire for the dog, the kangaroo's attention turns to the dog's owner and he lets him go.
The kangaroo and Mr Tonkins then face off with the man raising his fists into a boxing stance before he punches the kangaroo in the face.
Visibly shocked, but seemingly not seriously injured, the kangaroo is taken aback by the strike.
He then stares at the man, and again at the dog, before making a quick getaway.
The video was filmed by Australian videographer Greg Bloom, who has since sold the raw footage to ViralHog.
Since being uploaded on Saturday, on Tuesday it has been viewed more than six million times.