Hwaksikjo Hatched at UK Bird Zoo
"Result of 25 Years of Effort for Breeding"
Classified as Endangered Due to Habitat Destruction
The cassowary, known as the most dangerous bird in the world, has hatched at a bird zoo in the United Kingdom. On the 8th (local time), the British BBC reported, "Birdland keepers in Gloucestershire have spent over 25 years trying to breed this large, flightless bird," announcing the hatching news. Keeper Alistair Keene shared, "The first meeting with this tiny chick was a very special moment."
The baby cassowary was born from a male that came from the Avifauna Bird Park in the Netherlands and a female from Frankfurt, Germany. The parent birds were sent to Birdland in 2012 as part of the European endangered species conservation program. Cassowaries only breed under specific environmental conditions, making it difficult to increase their numbers in captivity. This hatching is the fourth in Europe this year and the first in the UK since 2021.
Native mainly to the tropical rainforests of northeastern Australia, the cassowary is the second heaviest living bird after the ostrich. Females weigh about 70 kg, males around 55 kg, and their height reaches 1.8 to 2 meters. Although there are differences among species, they generally have a small head with a pointed beak, a long neck with blue skin adorned with fleshy wattles resembling a chicken's comb, a body covered in black feathers, long legs, blunt toes, and sharp claws. The name "cassowary" comes from the neck's skin, which is partially red and looks as if it is swallowing a fireball.
Cassowaries are fast runners, capable of sprinting through dense forests at speeds of up to 50 km/h, can jump up to 1.5 meters high, and are also good swimmers. Additionally, they possess powerful 10 cm-long claws resembling daggers and exhibit aggressive behavior when threatened, earning them the title of "the most dangerous bird in the world." A single kick from these claws can cause fatal injuries. However, due to habitat destruction and other factors, they are currently classified as an endangered species.
There have been reported cases of human fatalities caused by cassowary attacks. In 2019, a 75-year-old man in Florida, USA, was attacked and killed by a cassowary he was raising on his farm. The man fell while feeding the bird and was fatally injured. Although he was taken to the hospital, he eventually died. In Florida, cassowaries are classified as "Class 2 dangerous wild animals," the same category as alligators and clouded leopards.
© The Asia Business Daily(www.asiae.co.kr). All rights reserved.
