A KANGAROO no bigger than its victim has hospitalised a five-year-old South Grafton boy.

A woman who cares for the boy, who with the victim cannot be identified, said the attack occurred in the backyard of their home on Saturday when the boy went outside "for a couple of minutes".

"I heard terrible screaming and raced out to the back of the house," the woman said.

"He had come back into the house and his little face was covered in blood.

"But when I took his shirt off and saw the injuries to his back and arms, I started to hyperventilate."

The carer said the boy had a deep, jagged gash from his shoulder blade to under his armpit.

"He said the kangaroo had scratched his face and when he fell to the ground it had jumped on his back," she said.

The woman said she didn't see the kangaroo, but council rangers estimated the animal had not been any bigger than the little boy.

Surgeons patched up the boy, including putting internal stitches into a 17cm gash in the boy's back and side. He was allowed to go home on Saturday night.

"His face has scabs all over it and his body is covered in bruises," the woman said.

The woman said the boy was recovering well from the attack.

"He hasn't had any nightmares and doesn't seem to be worried about it all," she said.

"In fact, the only thing he said was that he forgot to call the kangaroo an idiot.

"Now if he sees them, he yells out: 'You idiots'."

The woman said kangaroo numbers in residential areas of South Grafton were "out of control".

"I counted 43 of them on our front lawn recently, including several big bucks," she said.

The Daily Examiner contacted the National Parks and Wildlife Service about the issue.

It was investigating the claims, but had not given the paper a statement by yesterday afternoon.

WHAT TO DO

Avoid confrontation

Things you can do to avoid confronting a kangaroo.

Do not walk directly towards a kangaroo.

Do not stand up tall, stare or hold your arms out towards a kangaroo.

Do not go near kangaroos engaged in courtship or mating behaviour - for example, males sniffing, touching or moving around with females.

Do not go near male kangaroos that are sparring, fighting or showing off their size and strength to each other.

Do not go near a kangaroo that is growling or clucking.

Do not move between a female and her joey.

Do not allow your dog to approach a kangaroo.

Kangaroos will vigorously defend themselves against dogs, and this may draw you into a dangerous situation.

- Information from the NSW Department of Environment and Climate Change