As regular CFZ-watchers will know, for some time Corinna has been doing a column for Animals & Men and a regular segment on On The Track... particularly about out-of-place birds and rare vagrants. There seem to be more and more bird stories from all over the world hitting the news these days so, to make room for them all - and to give them all equal and worthy coverage - she has set up this new blog to cover all things feathery and Fortean.

Friday, 19 January 2018

Peewees are fighting back after humans upset pecking order


Bernard Lagan, Sydney
January 2 2018, 12:00pm, The Times

If birds are supposed to be our feathered friends, it is just possible that we owe an apology to one native Australian species, which appears to have become a bit cheesed off with the human race.

Australia’s largest supermarket chain is the latest victim of the peewee, a common species about the size of a European blackbird that, until recently, was thought to be among the least aggressive Australian birds.



Woolworths compensates staffer after vicious bird attack in car park

A woman who was "severely injured" when a bird swooped her has been compensated by Woolworths to the tune of almost $17,000.

Anita Smith was struck by a bird, a native peewee, on May 14 that's known to guard the entryway to Kiama Village Shopping Centre.

A customer service officer for the supermarket, Ms Smith had surgery on her injury in mid-July, described in a compensation claim as an "inturned central part of the right eye flap", Fairfax Media reports.

Ms Smith was among at least 10 people who required medical attention as a result of the bird's attacks, according to an area ophthalmologist.

The Workers Compensation Commission ordered Woolworths to pay Ms Smith her lost wages after the incident, which was almost $17,000 after 25 weeks of reduced employment.

The company also has to pay Ms Smith's medical and rehabilitation bills.

The supermarket however, argued that the incident had nothing to do with her employment. Counsel for the supermarket had argued she was "not performing any work" at the time of the injury.

No comments:

Post a Comment