Arabic version: هجوم جاموس يخلّف سائحة من فيكتوريا مصابة بكدمات في نيتملوك

According to ABC News, Victorian tourists Emma Hipwell and Hattie Frdelja survived a feral buffalo attack while walking to Butterfly Gorge in Nitmiluk National Park on Monday. The pair, both 21, were on the 13-kilometre hiking trail near Katherine, about 300 kilometres south of Darwin.

The women said they encountered the buffalo only five to 10 metres away and froze as other hikers shouted warnings from further down the track. Frdelja said the animal pushed Hipwell over, ran away, then returned and tossed her onto the ground. Nearby hikers, who had also been charged by the buffalo, ran to help the pair.

Hipwell said the encounter occurred in an enclosed area leading into the gorge, where both the animal and the hikers had little room to move. She suffered bruising and scratches along both sides of her hips and legs. Frdelja said they would continue their three-month tour of Australia after recovering in Katherine.

NT Parks and Wildlife said such incidents were extremely rare. The agency manages buffalo through annual aerial removal programs and removed almost 350 animals from Nitmiluk in May. Visitors who encounter a buffalo are advised to stay calm, back away slowly and avoid sudden movements. Northern Territory feral buffalo can weigh up to 1,200 kilograms and are concentrated mainly in Top End wetlands.