Apr 16,
2019, 09:22am
A large
flightless bird killed a Florida breeder with its long claws in a “tragic
accident” after the man fell in its enclosure
A
75-year-old Florida man was mortally wounded in an attack on Friday morning by
a large flightless bird that he kept. He was taken to the UF Health
Shands Hospital by paramedics, where he later died from his
injuries. The man, Marvin Hajos, lived north of Gainesville in a rural part of
Alachua county, according to local newspapers.
“My
understanding is that the gentleman was in the vicinity of the bird and at some
point, fell,” Deputy Chief Jeff Taylor told the Gainesville Sun.
“When he
fell, he was attacked,” Mr. Taylor said, adding that the incident appeared to
be a “tragic accident”.
According
to a report by CNN, the first emergency call was made by Mr. Hajos,
the bird’s owner, whilst a second call was received shortly afterward from
another person on the property. It is not yet known what Mr. Hajos did to
motivate the attack.
The
attacker was identified as a southern cassowary, Casuarius casuarius, a
large flightless bird that is native to tropical rain forests in northeastern
Australia, New Guinea, and on several nearby island archipelagoes of Indonesia.
The birds can weigh as much as 58.5 kg (130 pounds) and adults stand between
1.5 and 2.0m (5 and 6.5 feet) tall. Amongst living birds, only ostriches are
larger.
Both
sexes of cassowaries are clad in glossy funereal black plumage, and have
featherless bright blue heads and necks accentuated with red wattles. Females
are larger and more colorful than males. The birds’ colors intensify during
courtship, territorial disputes and when they are threatened. Curiously, their
skin is a uniformly bright blue color, even under their feathers.
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