Mother and Child Narrowly Escape the ‘World’s Most Dangerous Bird.’ See Footage of the ‘Close Encounter’

A mom and her child had a close call with a dangerous bird, and their narrow escape was caught on security cameras.

Nearly a month after the “close encounter” in Australia, the Queensland Department of the Environment, Tourism, Science and Innovation released the footage as a warning about the feathery fiend behind it: the cassowary. Often referred to as the world's most dangerous bird,” per the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF), the cassowary should not be fed or approached, the government agency warned in the June 18 press release.

In the surveillance footage, the mom and her child walk up to a door in Mission Beach on May 9. The kid picks up his pace to a run after spotting two cassowaries behind them. The mother, who is walking ahead of her child, notices the birds and holds the door open for the kid as he runs inside. The two cassowaries follow closely behind but don't make it in. The birds slow down after realizing the human duo had made it inside, but they still approach the now-closed door, the footage shows.

The birds — one tall and one much smaller — were “a habituated male cassowary and his chick,” the Queensland department said, adding that they were “approaching a home in the hopes of being fed.” This hope is generated by human interference, which is why authorities “are urging people to avoid unlawfully feeding wildlife,” particularly cassowaries.

Commonly found in the wet tropics of Queensland, cassowaries can be fearsome to encounter. According to the press release from Queensland authorities, the flightless birds “can inflict serious injuries to people and pets by kicking out with their large, clawed feet,” which led the WWF to draw comparisons to an iconic horror villain.

“They're most active at twilight, have a claw that rivals Freddy Krueger's, and are one of the few bird species that have killed humans,” the WWF said of the birds, which can reach 4 to 5.6 feet, on average.

Feeding the birds often alters their behavior and makes them more daring around humans, which has led to multiple cassowary run-ins, like the filmed incident of the mother with her child.

“This incident is one of several cassowary interactions in the area which are linked to unlawful feeding,” wildlife ranger Jeff Lewis said in a statement. “Thankfully, the mother and child were able to get inside to safety, but it's an important reminder not to interfere with wildlife.”

Another cassowary incident in April saw one of the birds approach a Queensland man in his seventies and kick him in the leg. The man “was treated for a cut to his leg” and “was lucky the injuries weren't worse,” Lewis added.

Incidents like these are “stark examples,” he said, of the dangers of feeding the birds.

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“Local wildlife rangers have been warning people of the risks, installing signage and providing education, but the unlawful feeding persists,” Lewis added in the release. “When cassowaries associate humans with food, they can become impatient and aggressive, particularly when accompanied by chicks.”

The Queensland Department of the Environment, Tourism, Science and Innovation advises people to “never approach cassowaries,” especially not chicks, as “male cassowaries will defend them.” People living in cassowary-populated areas should also slow down when driving, but not stop to look at the birds (if they are on the road). Dogs living near cassowary habitats should also be leashed or kept behind a fence.

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