Australia is seen as a home to poisonous snakes, spiders and sea creatures such as jellyfish and the like which makes its residents fearless and strong. It might catch one by surprise to know that there is one animal that they fear in this same part of the world – where they mostly dwell among deadly animals.
The cassowary, the only bird that Australians fear most, is the heaviest bird in Australia and the second heaviest in the world. It is flightless, that is, incapable of flying. According to CNN, it is as tall as a human being, has sharp eyes and shiny black feathers, walks on two feet with large and extremely sharp claws on its feet, and can, above all, weigh almost 140 pounds.
According to Andrew Mack, who spent over five years studying these birds in Papua New Guinea, “There’s just something primeval about them.”
They are also popular for how dramatic their presence is and how important they are to the parts of the ecosystem of the rainforest. They contribute to the reproduction of fruits by eating and digesting fruits daily and releasing them through poop. This way the seeds are spread across different places in the forest, and they grow.
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How to be on guard when there are Cassowaries around
CNN reported that there was a viral video that showed a woman holding her McDonald’s burger in the face of a hunger-stricken cassowary.
These birds are huge and scary. However, according to Peter Rowles, the founder of the Community for Coastal and Cassowary Conservation, AKA, “C4”, “Many more cassowaries die from humans than humans die from cassowaries.”
So, knowing that they are not as intimidating as they seem, how then can one tackle the situation of meeting the cassowary face-to-face, in the wild?
Put your hands behind your back. Resist the urge to scream and run because it’s a futile effort – it does nothing to help the situation. They are tall and can run as fast as the average human being. You can blend with a tree/the environment as soon as possible, and if you have food in your hand, keep it out of sight.
The idea, according to CNN, is to appear boring to them so there’s no reason for them to come after you.
and then