Beware the wombat:

Wombat 'mauls Black Saturday victim' April 6, 2010
.AAP

A man who survived the Black Saturday bushfires almost met his match in the shape of a rogue wombat outside his caravan in Flowerdale on Tuesday.

Bruce Kringle, 60, stepped outside his temporary accommodation just before 7am (AEST) when he was attacked by the wombat, which scratched and bit at his leg and brought him to the ground.

The wombat jumped onto Mr Kringle's chest to continue the mauling, but he reached for an axe and delivered a fatal blow to the marauding marsupial.

Advertisement: Story continues below Kelly Smith, who works at the Flowerdale Hotel, said the wombat had emerged from under Mr Kringle's caravan before attacking him.

"Bruce managed to find an axe and killed it," Ms Smith told AAP.

"It's bizarre what happened.

"He's okay but the wombat mauled his leg, got him to the ground and then started clawing at his chest."

She said Mr Kringle was living in a caravan on his block of land until his house could be built.

Paramedics arrived at Mr Kringle's property and dressed his wounds before transferring him to the Northern Hospital, where is in a stable condition.

Geoff McLure of the Department of Sustainability and the Environment says the wombat was probably suffering from mange and intolerant of any interference.

"It probably saw the man as a threat and rushed at him," Mr McLure said.

"If it had mange, it would have been suffering a great deal and would be very intolerant to human interference."

He said the attack would have been very frightening for Mr Kringle.

"They can be quite big, and can move quickly," he said.

He said if the wombat was suffering from mange, its death at Mr Kringle's hands could be regarded as merciful.