Florida man attacked, killed by 'World's Most Dangerous Bird'

A large flightless bird killed a Florida breeder with its long claws in a “tragic accident” after the man fell in its enclosure.

A 75-year-old Florida man was mortally wounded in an attack on Friday morning by a large flightless bird that he kept.

He was taken to the UF Health Shands Hospital by paramedics, where he later died from his injuries.

The man, Marvin Hajos, lived north of Gainesville in a rural part of Alachua county, according to local newspapers.

“My understanding is that the gentleman was in the vicinity of the bird and at some point, fell,” Deputy Chief Jeff Taylor told the Gainesville Sun.

“When he fell, he was attacked,” Mr. Taylor said, adding that the incident appeared to be a “tragic accident”.

According to a report by CNN, the first emergency call was made by Mr. Hajos, the bird’s owner, whilst a second call was received shortly afterward from another person on the property. It is not yet known what Mr. Hajos did to motivate the attack.The attacker was identified as a southern cassowary, Casuarius casuarius, a large flightless bird that is native to tropical rain forests in northeastern Australia, New Guinea, and on several nearby island archipelagoes of Indonesia. The birds can weigh as much as 58.5 kg (130 pounds) and adults stand between 1.5 and 2.0m (5 and 6.5 feet) tall. Amongst living birds, only ostriches are larger.