A zookeeper filmed punching a kangaroo in the face as he tried to save his pet dog has spoken for the first time about the bizarre fight that was caught on video.
Greig Tonkins, 36, made headlines in December, 2016 when footage of him shaping up to the two-metre marsupial went viral around the world.
Mr Tonkins' actions divided the millions who watched the video, with animal activists slamming him as a 'thug' for the attack - while others praised his defence of his dog.
The elephant keeper at Taronga Western Plains Zoo in Dubbo refused to comment at the time he became a viral sensation, but more than two years on has claimed he has no problem with kangaroos - and never did.
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Greig Tonkins (pictured), who famously punched a kangaroo in the face in 2016, has broken his silence on the incident more than two years on
Mr Tonkins punched a kangaroo after it attacked his pet dog during a hunting trip in regional New South Wales. After it was posted on Facebook, the video went viral internationally
'They love me... and I love them,' he said in a post with a picture of him lying next to a mob of kangaroos,' Mr Tonkins said, as his mates reminded him of his infamous run-in and questioned whether he had again 'gone on the attack' again.
'Everyone knows how much I love them... that's the funny thing about the haters, I've raised more joeys than them.
'Everyone who knows me knows what I've always been like with animals even though I hunt.
'Look at the pics, they don't lie.'
Mr Tonkins went toe-to-toe with the marsupial to save his pet dog while on a hunting trip.
He and a group of friends had been out hunting wild pigs when his dog came across the giant kangaroo and attempted to attack it.
But the kangaroo grabbed the dog in a headlock - at which point Mr Tonkins leapt from a nearby vehicle and ran over to help.
