The not-so-funny truth behind a viral video of a “fight” between a “menacing” kangaroo and an Australian Shepherd dog has been revealed, with animal advocates saying it should never have happened.

Vision, believed to have been filmed about a week ago from the front seat of a car as the encounter unfolded at a roundabout in Lysterfield south east of Melbourne, close to the Churchill National Park, has been circulating on social media.

The Today Show aired the footage in a light-hearted segment, which the hosts dubbed “the most Australian thing many of you have ever seen”.

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Amid laughter, they talked about the kangaroo going “paw to paw” with the dog on a suburban street, describing it like it was a pay-per-view fight and saying the “menacing” kangaroo was “pulling out its signature move of leaning back on the tail and launching a kick while trying to grab the canine with its paws”.

“We can’t tell you or how this all ended or who won but my money’s on the kangaroo,” they joked.

The comments section of a clip of the segment on Nine’s TikTok account is filled with people discussing how scary kangaroos are and worried for the dog’s safety.

The reality, however, was far different, according to local animal rescue provider Sue Johnston who runs Sue’s Roos.

She says the kangaroo, which she named Nigel, was chased from the nearby park by a dog who was being walked off leash and “clearly not under control”.

“He was clipped by a car while the dog was chasing him and then it caught up with him. The person filming here and another car who was also filming boxed them in, moving forward toward them,” she wote in a social media post.

“So in the mind of the kangaroo, he was being attacked by a dog, cars and people, while trapped.

“The owner finally caught up with the dog. Nigel was left terrified, with a foot injury and myopathy. The dog was fine, Nigel not so well.”

In a post supporting that of Ms Johnston, the South Oakleigh Wildlife Centre described the attack and the coverage as “absolutely disgusting”.

Ms Johnston said she had not seen Nigel since the incident and was concerned for his welfare.

She was furious with how the distressing video was promoted on the Today segment.

“I chose not to share these videos the (sic) because they are upsetting, I knew it would make some people angry and others would say stupid things that would make me angry.

“I thought my post on the local community group last week would have prompted the people who filmed it to take their videos down, but that is not the case. I hope the Today show paid them a lot of money because they may get some fines in the mail! Maybe they could use that money toward Nigels treatment when I find him?”

Ms Johnston said Nigel was likely hiding deep in nearby bushland.

“The fact is, he will not be doing well. His foot injury aside, Kangaroos suffer from stress myopathy after being chased, this can happen after only 3 mins and almost always ends in their demise unless they receive intensive care and even then it is not guaranteed we can save them.”

“Our local kangaroos have such a hard time. Many who are hit by cars, the joeys who lose their mothers, dogs chase and attack them. There is the brutal cruelty from phsycopaths that happens when you are asleep. No one has any idea what happens out here in the dark on a nightly basis.

“These beautiful creatures need help to protect them, not find amusement in their suffering.”