The most dangerous bird in the world has just been born in England

Like a modern-day dinosaur, this bird with sharp claws measuring over 10 cm and considered as the most dangerous bird in the world has just been born in England, not far from home.

The Cassowary, a “modern-day dinosaur”

It is considered to bethe most dangerous bird in the world. The Southern Cassowary, which is part of the category of “runner birds”, is endangered. Habitated in the tropical regions of northern Australia, this predator as large as a human is a fascinating animal. Scientists have no shortage of superlatives to describe this fearsome bird with legs similar to a velociraptorand 10cm long claws.“They're a modern-day dinosaur,” says Peter Rowles, chairman of a local group that protects the endangered birds.

“When you first look them in the eye, it can be intimidating, because they have big eyes, they look you right in the eye,”says Peter Rowles, acknowledging that they “look a bit ferocious”. It's like hearing the warning given by Robert Muldoon, the game warden from Jurassic Park to Professor Ellie Sattler (Laura Dern), as they approach the Velociraptor enclosure in Steven Spielberg's 1993 film.

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reassuring news for the endangered species

But despite its fierce appearance, this predator is not aggressive if it is treated well. In addition, it plays an essential role in maintaining biodiversity, so much so that if it were to disappear, the Cassowary would bring with it the disappearance of other species essential to biodiversity.

Given the urgency of the situation, a major campaign aimed at reviving the species is underway. At the Cotswolds Bird Park, a nature reserve in England, a chick has just been born, the fourth since the beginning of the year in Europe. A feat, because the animal remains very difficult to raise in captivity, due to its environmental needs.

Chick of 'world's most dangerous' bird hatches https://t.co/DJWt7Y4Kur

September 8, 2024

The chick of the “world's most dangerous” bird has just hatched

As reported by Science & Vie, the chick was born to a male from Vogelpark Avifauna, a bird park in Alphen, the Netherlands, and a female from Frankfurt, Germany. The birth is part of the European Endangered Species Programme, a conservation breeding programme of the European Association of Zoos and Aquaria to the conservation of a wild animal species.

Alistair Keen, the zookeeper at which the chick was born, told the BBC that “Cassowaries have a reputation as one of the most dangerous birds in the world and their size, speed and power, combined with their 10cm dagger-like claws, mean we have to take their care very seriously.” In 2019, a man died after his pet cassowary attacked him in Florida.