Crow Attacks Citizens in the Heart of Gangnam
"I'm Scared of the Crow," Some Plead
A scene reminiscent of Alfred Hitchcock's film "The Birds," where birds suddenly attack people, occurred right in the heart of Gangnam, Seoul.
On the 29th, YTN reported that a crow attacked a pedestrian in downtown Gangnam. The video shows a crow pecking at the back of a man's head as he walks, then flying away. Shortly after, the crow also pecked at the back of a woman passing nearby before fleeing. Even after the attacks, the crow remained perched there, watching passersby. People who have to pass through the area daily for commuting or other reasons expressed in interviews that "the crows are frightening."
A resident of Gangnam, Mr. A, said, "I was startled when a crow swooped down while I was out with my child. If my child had been alone, it could have been serious. The crows sitting on the power lines keep staring at people as if they are about to attack, and nothing is scarier than that."
The unexpected "crow attacks" are occurring because crows are flocking to the city in search of food. Due to ecosystem destruction, it has become easier for them to find food in urban areas rather than in the mountains, and the abundance of buildings suitable for nesting is causing crows to gather in the city. Additionally, crows become more aggressive during their breeding season from spring to summer, so if local district offices remove crow nests, the birds tend to show even more aggressive behavior toward people.
Meanwhile, on the 3rd, Dong-A Ilbo obtained data from Korea Electric Power Corporation on "Power Outage Damage Caused by Crows Nationwide in the Last Three Years" and reported that power outage incidents caused by crows have been increasing annually. A detailed look by year shows ▲2021 (21 cases) ▲2022 (47 cases) ▲2023 (35 cases), totaling 103 cases over the past three years. By region, Gyeonggi had the highest number with 6 cases, followed by Gyeongnam and Gangwon with 5 cases each. Seoul also experienced 2 related incidents.
In December last year, in Dalseo-gu, Daegu, a crow damaged electrical equipment, causing a power outage for about 1,000 apartment households, and residents trapped in elevators barely escaped. In September of the same year, in Oryu-dong, Guro-gu, Seoul, thousands of apartment households experienced power outages, causing significant inconvenience to residents.
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