"This Is a Gangnam Apartment Complex" Uproar as Children Attacked by Urban Crows

A Series of Crow Attacks Reported in Apartment Complexes

On May 25, at a large apartment complex in Geumho-dong, Seongdong-gu, Seoul, a crow attacked a young boy by clawing at his head. The boy, who was being chased by two crows, fell and injured his leg. Kim, a 65-year-old resident, said, "I felt uneasy when I saw crows lingering near the apartment's recycling area recently, but I never thought they would attack a young child." The apartment manager commented, "It seems that a crow that had chicks misunderstood people as a threat and attacked."

Recently, there have been a series of incidents in which crows, entering their breeding season in urban areas, have attacked people. This is happening as crows, which originally lived in nature, have adapted to urban environments and their population has surged.

According to the Seoul Metropolitan Government and several district offices on May 29, a complaint was filed on May 23 regarding a child being attacked by a crow at an apartment complex in Samseong-dong, Gangnam-gu. Residents of an apartment complex in Jamsil-dong, Songpa-gu, also submitted complaints stating they had been attacked by crows inhabiting the apartment complex.

Shin, a 50-year-old resident of Gangnam-gu, said, "This is not the first time a crow has attacked a child," and added, "If an adult had been attacked, it would have left a significant trauma, so I can only imagine how much worse it must be for the child who was harmed." Park Jungyun, a 41-year-old resident of Songpa-gu, said, "The crows are as big as pelicans, so just seeing them is frightening. When I heard in the apartment group chat that crows were attacking residents, I was shocked," adding, "I tell my child to never go near anywhere they hear 'caw caw' sounds."

There are also frequent reports of sightings of flocks of crows. On a mom's online community in Busan, posts have appeared saying, "Every evening, flocks of crows gather on the power lines" and "Crow droppings are piling up at bus stops and other places." Park, a 52-year-old resident of Suwon, Gyeonggi Province, said, "A while ago, I saw what looked like at least 100 birds gathered on a power line. I thought they were pigeons, but when I got closer, I was surprised to see they were crows."

The crows living in urban areas are large-billed crows, which have become resident birds. The adult size is 55 to 60 cm, making them the largest crow species found in Korea. Originally, crows were birds that lived in forests and farmlands. However, as there are no natural predators such as hawks or eagles in the city, and with an abundance of food like food waste, they have adapted to urban environments and increased their population. An official from the Gangnam-gu Office said, "Feeding stray cats is also one of the causes of the increase in crows."

The breeding season for crows is from March to June. During this period, they build nests in high places such as building crevices and tree branches and incubate their eggs for about two weeks. When chicks are born, crows become protective, and during this time, they are particularly sensitive and alert. The fact that crows often attack children is thought to be because they interpret children's innocent and unpredictable behavior as hostile or threatening signals.

Crows not only attack people but also cause various inconveniences in urban life by tearing open garbage bags and creating noise and droppings problems. For this reason, some have argued that the large-billed crow should be designated as a harmful wild animal, but local governments are reluctant to do so. This is because crows also play beneficial roles, such as cleaning up animal carcasses and controlling pests.

Park Byungkwon, director of the Urban Ecology Research Institute, said, "The population of crows in urban areas will continue to rise," and added, "It is necessary to establish an urban ecological monitoring system and consider designating certain areas with frequent and severe resident damage as 'capture-permitted zones' for exceptional management."

An official from the Seoul Metropolitan Government said, "In areas where crows frequently appear, we are posting notices to alert citizens and recommending that people use umbrellas or parasols to protect themselves from crow attacks."