Residents in a coastal Queensland town have been warned to watch out for a dangerous cassowary after a man was hospitalised following an attack.
The man, aged in his 70s, was left with a large leg wound after he was attacked by the large flightless bird in Carwell on Queensland’s Cassowary Coast region on Friday.
The man said he was kicked in the leg by an adult cassowary, leaving him with a three-inch wound to his upper thigh.
He was taken to Tully Hospital in a stable condition and the bird was reported to the state’s Department of the Environment, Tourism, Science and Innovation (DETSI).
He reported the bird had approached him from behind in his backyard and kicked him in the leg.
Wildlife rangers visited the area and locals said the cassowary had also approached them with “bold behaviour”.
The department has issued a warning to residents over cassowary safety.
“The behaviour of the cassowary is consistent of a cassowary that has become accustomed to being fed,” a department spokesperson said in a statement.
“It’s a good reminder to the public not to be complacent when they are in close proximity to these animals.”
Cassowaries should never be given food as the birds grow to expect being fed, the department said.
The birds then become aggressive towards humans if they are not handed food.
Locals were told to never approach cassowaries or their chicks, never to feed them, to dispose of food scraps in areas frequented by the birds and to always slow down while driving in cassowary territory.
Drivers are warned to never stop their cars to look at cassowaries on the road and dog owners should keep their pets on a leash.
Cassowaries are often spotted approaching hikers in the Cassowary Coast area.
The birds are known to “stalk” humans and their attacks can prove fatal.
