Australians warned to stay away from deadly giant birds .

I found this article today in regards to the recent cyclone they had in Australia and how it has ruined the habitat of a bird species called the cassowaries. I live in Canada and I have never heard of these things, but it appears they can kill you...

telegraph.co.uk

Australians trying to rebuild in the wake of Cyclone Yasi have been warned to stay away from cassowaries – huge flightless birds with claws that can disembowel a human – on the hunt for food after their habitat was destroyed by the storm.

Australians trying to rebuild in the wake of Cyclone Yasi have been warned to stay away from cassowaries – huge flightless birds with claws that can disembowel a human – on the hunt for food after their habitat was destroyed by the storm.

Residents of communities around Mission Beach, on the north Queensland coast, which was almost flattened by the category five cyclone earlier this month, have been advised to beware of the 6ft tall birds, which are known to attack if they feel threatened. Famed for their long talons – their dagger-like middle claws measure 12cm long – and powerful legs, the birds, which are unique to the rainforests of northern Australia, are said to be able to disembowel humans, dogs and horses with just one kick. Weighing more than 10st, cassowaries resemble an emu, and in 2007 were named the most dangerous birds in the world by the Guinness Book of Records. However, thanks to land clearing and development along the coast, the fearsome birds are seriously endangered, with just 1,000 left in the wild. Queensland authorities and green groups have warned that over the coming weeks the birds will be forced out of the rainforest after violent winds from Cyclone Yasi stripped trees of their main food source, fruit.

The government, which is arranging emergency aerial food drops for the birds in an attempt to keep them away from residential areas, has warned locals to be on the lookout for hungry cassowaries. "It's vital that members of the public don't feed cassowaries – for their own safety and in the interests of the birds' survival long term, Kate Jones, the Queensland sustainability minister, said. "Cassowaries that come to expect food from humans can become aggressive and dangerous." The warning comes after several cassowaries were spotted close to towns following Cyclone Larry, which hit the same stretch of coast in 2006. After the storm, one third of the population of cassowaries died, and conservationists fear that without intervention the same could happen. Bob Irwin, a conservationist and the father of late Crocodile Hunter Steve Irwin, said it could take 18 months for the rainforest to grow back and that in that time scores of cassowaries could starve to death. "As well as losing their food they are losing their homes so they will be very disoriented. "Like any other animal, if you interfere with them there could be a risk, but the main threat is to the birds themselves." While the birds, which resemble emus, are known to be highly aggressive if approached, there is only one documented human death caused by a cassowary. In 1926 Philip McClean, 16, was killed after he and his brother attempted to beat a cassowary to death. The bird fought back, charging at McClean and knocking him down and slashing his neck with a claw.

Check out the pictures of this thing, the claws are scary.

World's most dangerous bird







I need to make mental note to avoid those birds when I visit Australia.

reply to post by Corruption Exposed


I would also like to know if any of our Australian members have seen these before in the wild. Even if you are not Australian and have seen them while visiting I would like to hear. Any input is welcome.

I'll begin by saying I'm an Aussie.......

Like just about every other animal/plant/insect in Australia, the Cassowary has the potential to be dangerous if cornered - but so does a Chihuahua if you think about it. Non-Aussies tend to think of Australia as a dangerous place to live but its all hype - a little common sense and a set of eyes is all one needs here.

I've never been bitten by a spider, never been stung by a poisonous fish, never been bitten by a snake, no Kangaroos have ever decided to have a boxing match with me.......no......well you get the idea.

Except those bloody Drop Bears.......now THAT'S something all foreigners should be afraid of!

Looks like an interesting bird to say the least but a couple of your image links are not working buddy.

You would have to be pretty damn unlucky to get killed by a cassowary. Maybe if it has bird flu and gives you a kiss you might be in trouble, or if you ate one and choked on a bone of poetic justice you could die.

Apart from that cassowaries are beautiful birds, they are very big, very shy and there are not many left of this planet.

reply to post by Corruption Exposed


Wow - I live in southern Australia and have not seen or even heard of these birds before! They must be related to the Emu bird (also huge and flightless) and have seen a plenty of the latter. Thanks for the info.

reply to post by StarTraveller

Looks like an interesting bird to say the least but a couple of your image links are not working buddy.

I am sorry to hear that the links are not working for you, but they work fine for me.

The pictures I linked are also in the article, minus the picture of the claw I included which I thought was my favorite.

Some information and images on Drop Bears......

[atsimg]http://files.abovetopsecret.com/images/member/ce82e933213d.jpg[/atsimg]
[atsimg]http://files.abovetopsecret.com/images/member/573427578968.jpg[/atsimg]

reply to post by Kryties

I'll begin by saying I'm an Aussie.......

You must get the same type of stereotypical jokes I get all the time. Being Canadian I get polar bear jokes and such quite often

I think Australia is a beautiful continent and I am determined to visit it for a while.

Originally posted by Kryties
I'll begin by saying I'm an Aussie.......

Like just about every other animal/plant/insect in Australia, the Cassowary has the potential to be dangerous if cornered - but so does a Chihuahua if you think about it. Non-Aussies tend to think of Australia as a dangerous place to live but its all hype - a little common sense and a set of eyes is all one needs here.

I've never been bitten by a spider, never been stung by a poisonous fish, never been bitten by a snake, no Kangaroos have ever decided to have a boxing match with me.......no......well you get the idea.

Except those bloody Drop Bears.......now THAT'S something all foreigners should be afraid of!

edit on 17/2/2011 by Kryties because: (no reason given)

agreed, It is getting quite dangerous. Apparently another person was killed and another seriously injured by drop bears in the royal national park yesterday. Terrible stuff!!!, I won't be going camping for some time.

DROP BEARS DO NOT EXIST

Blasted Antipodeans!

reply to post by Corruption Exposed


Hehe yeah, I think most Aussies cringe whenever a foreigner tries to emulate our accent - particularly in movies it just sounds so fake. The whole 'shrimp on the barbie' thing got old in the 80's for us.

And yes, we have a very beautiful and unique country that I advise everyone has to come and see at least once

Originally posted by Ericthedoubter
DROP BEARS DO NOT EXIST

Blasted Antipodeans!

SHHHHHHHHHHHHH duuuuuude way to blow the entire countries joke on the world...........sheesh.....

reply to post by Australiana


Awwwww, is that your beautiful boxer baby? Once you've had a boxer other dogs just aren't the same

Pretty interesting bird. Its wild because you can almost see the Trex in its feet. Maybe scientist are on to something in relation to dinos and birds evolution.
S&F

First thing I thought of was the Bird mentioned by the Tucson, Ariz. assasin when I read the thread topic.

reply to post by Ophiuchus 13


I also thought the claws were similar to those of a T-Rex. You also bring up an interesting point on a well discussed theory of birds in evolution.

The bird almost resembles a raptor from the movie Jurassic Park.

Those things are feathered dinosaurs!

On a side note, Americans are the target of plenty of stereotypes too. Fat, lazy, sense of entitlement, selfish.

Uh. (thinks about it)

Uh-oh.

Originally posted by Corruption Exposed

The bird almost resembles a raptor from the movie Jurassic Park.

Exactly. And it has a predatory instinct to kill in the way described. I am sure adults should be able to detect them and avoid, I just hope the adults are keeping an eye open for the kids though especially if they are hunting for food. Its wild how a cyclone could send these creatures out of their natural habitat.

By the way,here's a list of other things to watch out for while your over here:

Taipan:
en.wikipedia.org...

Brown Snakes:
en.wikipedia.org...

Particularly the Eastern Brown Snake:
en.wikipedia.org...

Tiger Snake:
en.wikipedia.org...

Blue-ringed octopus:
en.wikipedia.org...

Irukandji Jellyfish:
en.wikipedia.org...

Funnel Web Spider:
en.wikipedia.org...

Red Back Spider:
en.wikipedia.org...

Mouse Spider:
en.wikipedia.org...

Those are the endemic species,

...then you have your:

Box Jellyfish:
en.wikipedia.org...

Stonefish:
en.wikipedia.org...

Trapdoor Spider:
en.wikipedia.org...

And of course the good ole

Great White Shark:
en.wikipedia.org...

Plus many other snakes, shell fish, sharks..etc.

And Hoons:
en.wikipedia.org...

Have fun.

reply to post by mrwiffler


You forgot bogans......

en.wikipedia.org...

Go the shaka!