Cassaowary - The most dangerous bird in the world?

[GPSGuided]

Just read this SBS news report on a Cassowary that killed its owner in the US. Anyone come across one in the bush?

https://www.sbs.com.au/news/this-giant- ... p-for-sale

[Moocattle]

Here's some bits i found interesting from Tim Lows "Where Song Began" (2014) on Cassowary:

In New Guinea they are hunted and caged as livestock. It was reported there were four deaths within sixteen months in their southern highlands, and it's expected they kill more people than tigers in Asia, but of course there isn't much in the way of statistics.

In Australia, there has only been one death reported, but there is lack of data for aboriginal deaths similar to crocodiles. The child that died had his throat slashed by a talon. QPWS found evidence of around 150 attacks including: 28 kicked, 85 chased, 9 pushed, 8 pecked, 4 jumped on, 2 headbutted and 2 robbed of food. Most attacks came from animals that were being fed by humans, motivated by hunger. Along with humans there were 35 dog attacks, 3 horses and one cow, with the addition of a few cars.

Wedge tail eagles were feared more by Aborigines due to their readiness to take children.

[GPSGuided]

And I thought our Australian bush was safe for human.

[Huntsman247]

I believe that a couple was held hostage by one on the mt sorrow track in cape tribulation and the bird had to be relocated. Was hoping to see one myself while hiking in that area but all I saw were leeches that trip.

[GPSGuided]

The choice b/n leeches and cassaowary is a tough one!

[Lizzy]

Saw a few on some of the boardwalk walks in Cape Trib area. They smiled for the photos...

[slparker]

The duck is (indirectly) the most dangerous bird species.

[trekker76]

We have them on the road, about 5km from where I am sitting, the moresby range. They come out every day and wander down to the beach to scrounge food of the toursits, which is not a good thing.

As to dangerous, potentially yes. Similar build to the emu but the emu doesn't have these on the feet. https://postimg.cc/9DQzzd3G
Up to 5" long defensive hardware. They can potentially kill a person, dog and even small crocs have been found with kick marks around the head.

I would say like a lot of wild animals if you treat them with respect and don't startle them its no problem. I have walked past countless in the bush, but you do tend to let them have right of way or move slowly until they are out of sight. I do find them uncomfortable to encounter, there is that sudden awareness you are a very slow vulnerable creature in the animal kingdon, though not as bad as coming across a wild pig

I think the main issue is people feeding them, startling them, or being too close to them with chicks. Id also say quite a few of the 'attacks' arent, they are more where the birds are startled and make a beeline for the bush and whoever is in their way.

A real cassowary attack is no grey area, they often jump and strike with both legs. I think even without the two ankle daggers the force of the kicks would cause you dramas. I've had a very stupid dog narrowly escape after it rushed at one trying to bail it up when I was about 10.

Considering their level of protected status here its difficult to fathom the mechanisms for an american to get one as a pet.

[Happy Pirate]

A few years back I ran into a big male Casso on the path to Nandroya Falls on the Atherton Tablelands.
It chased 2 tourists first for a while making loud aggresive 'woof' noises (as they do when pissed).
I heard the noise and encountered the bird about 10 minutes later as it charged from the forest onto the path behind me. I stood my ground and shouted and waved my arms but it puffed itself up and kept approaching.
Accepting discretion as the better part of valour etc. I backed rapidly into the forest to try find some obstacles to place between us. It pushed through thickets of lawyer cane like tissue paper and eventually I had to jump into a pool below the creek crossing (about 2m drop) before it stopped following. Even then it ‘stood guard’ at the edge of the pool until I scrambled up the other side and scooted away.

It never progressed to physical attack and my first impression was actually of an animal habituated by feeding rather than of territorial or familial protection. There were no chicks apparent. I spoke to local rangers who mentioned that an aggressive young male had been relocated from the picnic ground at Babinda Boulders.

I've also seen one kick the sh!t out of a car at Etty Bay after seeing it's reflection in the paintwork. My GF used to have one that visited her yard in Mission Beach every few days to eat the fruit that was perfectly well behaved though.

So yeah, doesn't actually surprise me. I love Cassos but they are prehistoric, menacing birds of doom at their worst.

[Happy Pirate]

This was the friendly bugger; taken by the two tourists before it tried to wear their entrails.

[GPSGuided]

Thanks guys for the interesting stories and photos. Certainly new knowledge for someone on the south end of the continent. Bingo!

[Moondog55]

While the live birds may be a dangerous species perhaps the most dangerous bird in the world would actually be a poorly prepared and slightly under cooked charcoal chicken

[Neo]

Tried finding the story again to no avail!

Wedge tail eagles were feared more by Aborigines due to their readiness to take children.

The story of Mt Cairncross near Port Macquarie tells of an eagle taking a child, the eagle drank on the mountain.

[north-north-west]

Wedge tail eagles were feared more by Aborigines due to their readiness to take children.

A pair or family group could take out a toddler - I've seen a trio hunting euros, which is a slow and painful process (for the euros) - but it wouldn't be easy and they certainly couldn't carry one off. I'd be surprised if Wedgies have really caused that many casualties.

[Moondog55]

Wedge tail eagles were feared more by Aborigines due to their readiness to take children.

A pair or family group could take out a toddler - I've seen a trio hunting euros, which is a slow and painful process (for the euros) - but it wouldn't be easy and they certainly couldn't carry one off. I'd be surprised if Wedgies have really caused that many casualties.

Perhaps but it would only take one episode to make parents fretful and these things get remembered and passed on and it apparently did happen in New Zealand and why the worlds biggest eagle is now extinct

[north-north-west]

The Haast's? A very different bird - much more massive body yet with a wingspan similar to the Wedgie. Those things preyed on Moas, so they'd be more than capable of taking out a human.
Predators aren't stupid - they don't like to waste too much energy on difficult prey. Small and easy is always better unless you're desperate.

[trekker76]

Ive always wanted to see evidence based studies on the haast preying on moa's so I could draw my own conclusions.
A 15kg bird attacking a mammal weighing 500lbs would also suppose current eagles can hunt emus and cassowary, its a similar differential.

I dont doubt young moa might have been at risk, or old ones, and that the birds attacked a lot of carcasses, and its also possible multiple birds could have singled out moa. But one bird, even diving, I'm having a hard time buying it. There is a lot of risk to the animal itself, a miss means holding onto an animal 15-20 times heavier, with bone structure another order of magnitude denser, that is going to take off at 6okmhr into the densest foliage near it. Animals don't have game saves or workers compo, a broken bone or shattered wing is death. Even large flight birds are relatively bone fragile, its why you don't see current birds of prey killing mammals 15-20x heavier than them. Half the terrestrial species on the planet including us would be in peril if they did.

I have read a lot of basic reports on the damage to moa pelvises and predation marks( would could also be scavenging) but the animal observer in me is highly skeptical of it. Again, I'd like to get my hands on the scientific studies.

[north-north-west]

Pretty sure some of it would be anecdotal evidence from the early Maori, passed down through generations.

Given the lack of competition and predators, why would Haast's have evolved such a massive body if not to prey upon large animals? And the largest in NZ were the Moa . . . circumstantial evidence perhaps, but it is logical.

[Moondog55]

How heavy and strong is the braincase of a Moa and how well protected were the eyes?
I can imagine a heavy bird with large pounces hitting a Moa on the head, perhaps blinding it and then simply waiting for the bird to fall down a cliff

[north-north-west]

Swoop down fast, connect with the head, break the neck . . . impact force from a bird of that weight at any sort of speed would be high.

[trekker76]

I have to go with common sense myself.

Is not what could be done on paper, a fox can technically reach the jugular of a horse on paper.

And eagle can divebomb anything it wants sure, the golden eagle today can grow to 50% the mass of the haast...

But no birds of prey take on animals 15-20x their bodyweight. They rarely stray from attacking anything much more than their own bodyweight.

If they could handle a 15-20x weight differential, big modern eagles any time in history they had a prey defecit would have switched to destroying the 'brain cases, spines, pelvis, and eyes' of cassowaries, emus, ostriches, wolves, sheep, large dogs, small horses, people(the easiest target of all) and anything else 60-140kg bodyweight. Open ground would be a pretty unsafe place to be.

These paloentologists do great work but most aren't naturalists and backtrack on a lot of stuff depending on new findings but also influenced by current fashion, ethnic legends and what sells books, basically keeping their jobs, like we all have to do.

[Moondog55]

There has to be an evolutionary reason for the very large pounces tho, and if lions working in teams can bring down elephants I don't have a problem with the predator to prey weight ratio if you assume birds might be working in tandem as mated pairs. It could be more likely that hunting efforts were concentrating on young and immature birds where the birds mass would be less on an issue, the predators breeding cycle tuned to the hatching time of Moa eggs etc and eating carrion for some of the year
Forest elephant female at 1800 kilos, males 50% larger; lioness at 120 kilos; yes I was watching David Attenborough last nite.

[trekker76]

Wont say its impossible Moondog55, anything is possible. For me its the fact the haast is not some great dinosaur bird we are talking here- in fact with bodyweight differences between members of a species a small haast could come in the same size as the largest golden eagles,. Difficult to imagine either animal at this size divebombing to death an ostrich , lion or russian boar. As to multiple animals attacking the moa or juvenile birds, well that's no longer the same prey/predator ratio anymore and more believable certainly.

[Moondog55]

I'm not a naturalist, so it was only speculation on my part.
It just seemed reasonable to assume a relationship if both species disappeared at around the same time due to hunting pressures on the moa.

[Nuts]

Iv'e not met a Cassaowary. The other large birds are pretty dumb; if you held something up taller than than a Cassaowary (like a branch or walking pole) wouldn't they give in?

(Emus and Ostrich do).

[trekker76]

Not sure what you mean by 'give in' but I doubt it. If one of these birds is intent on doing your harm, putting something solid between you and the bird is the best bet. Otherwise park keepers would not use things like this for cranky birds. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u6YO2L6bFFI
Id have my doubts dealing with ostriches would be any different.

[Heremeahappy1]

Iv'e not met a Cassaowary. The other large birds are pretty dumb; if you held something up taller than than a Cassaowary (like a branch or walking pole) wouldn't they give in?

(Emus and Ostrich do).

If you held a cassaowary at 65°c sous vide with EVOO & tarragon for 6 hrs it would be fork tender and only be a threat to farmed chicken. Brining can also help retain juciness.

[Nuts]

Perhaps slow roasted over coals, a rotissaowary?

Not sure what you mean by 'give in' but I doubt it. If one of these birds is intent on doing your harm, putting something solid between you and the bird is the best bet. Otherwise park keepers would not use things like this for cranky birds. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u6YO2L6bFFI
Id have my doubts dealing with ostriches would be any different.

Yeah, ok. They are a smaller bird, and I guess most likely encountered in thicker bushes and at short notice. If no other choice i'd probably lie down.

As intimidating as it is the first time with something as big as an adult male ostrich, using a rake to manage them in paddocks is common practice. They will either back off or focus on kicking below the rake head. They quickly give in to a threat taller than themselves. A search shows the limits of google, with some ridiculous series of ninja hits described . I may have some old pics.. Still, i'd probably lie down rather than try with a walking pole.

[Heremeahappy1]

"Perhaps slow roasted over coals, a rotissaowary"
As punny as Ive ever heard

[trekker76]

Yeah, ok. They are a smaller bird, and I guess most likely encountered in thicker bushes and at short notice. If no other choice i'd probably lie down.

mate yep smaller bird but ostriches don't have these on their feet. They kick these out like daggers and legs a lot stronger than a human.







Thats why they are considered the most dangerous bird. I dont think you are more likely to be attacked by them, than any other flightless bird, its just the potential for lethal wounds should one get pissed.

We encounter them quite often here, the procedure if they are ignoring you, just ignore them and continue on your business. If the bird was highly determined to attack, and thats super rare, I dont think postural ploys will work. They say lying down is not a great idea, going off how they can kick crap out of dogs id believe it, a juvenile croc was once found with kickmarks to the head. My personal thoughts would be to get away, up a tree, into the water, or fight back with the stick.