Elderly man rushed to hospital after encounter with dangerous bird in backyard: 'They will come into people's yards and look for food'
A man in his 70s was relaxing in his backyard in the northern Australian town of Cardwell when a cassowary found its way in and attacked, leaving him bleeding from the back of his thigh. He was taken to a hospital in nearby Tully, treated, and released shortly thereafter. Agents from the Department of Environment, Tourism, Science and Innovation were unable to track down the animal afterward, despite other encounters in the vicinity.
The cassowary plays a vital role in rainforest ecosystems as the only long-distance dispersal animal for large-seeded fruits in the region, per the Wet Tropics Management Authority.
Local experts suggest that cassowaries become comfortable around people only after receiving food from them. This leads to a shift in behavior where wild animals approach humans more routinely with the expectation of food, contributing to an increase in more dangerous encounters — a pattern observed in other animal species, such as bears in North America.
"They will come into people's yards and look for food," said veterinarian Graham Lauridsen, per the ABC. "They become less scared of people and then they'll approach people and then dramas can happen."
Lauridsen also said that recent floods in the encompassing Cassowary Coast region were likely a contributing factor.
There is broad consensus among wildlife experts that feeding wild animals leads to negative and sometimes harmful outcomes. Food sources can significantly alter animal behavior, and the closer they are to humans, the greater the likelihood of injury.
The Wet Tropics Management Authority has a robust conservation plan to keep cassowaries healthy and safe. This includes protecting habitats and migration corridors and educating locals on cassowary behavior. These efforts are vital, as the iconic bird is endangered.
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