Aussies warned over 'deadly' issue at popular camping spot: 'People need to stop'
Still sporting many distinct characteristics inherited from their dinosaur ancestors, cassowaries can cause serious injury with their 'dagger-like' talons.
Visitors to a popular Aussie campground that have been feeding the area's resident cassowaries, described as the world's most dangerous bird, have been warned they're putting themselves and future travellers "at risk of serious, potentially deadly injuries".
The Murray Falls campground in the Girramay National Park, northwest of Cardwell in Queensland's north, has been labelled "prime cassowary habitat". The animals, which are the second heaviest bird in the world after the ostrich — and the third tallest, can grow up to two metres in height and weigh up to an incredible 80 kilograms.
Still sharing many distinct characteristics inherited from their dinosaur ancestors, including their three-taloned feet, cassowaries are the largest native vertebrate in Australian rainforests and an attack can easily prove deadly for humans. Though fatalities are rare (the most recent recorded fatality was in 1926), serious injuries are more common, and largely come from people trying to feed them, as noted at Murray Falls.
Feeding a cassowary could be the last thing you ever do, experts warn
Senior Wildlife Officer Alex Diczbalis from Queensland's Department of Environment, Science and Innovation (DESI) said the massive birds have become accustomed to sourcing food from people at the campground. He said while many people specifically visit the area to see the animals, travellers "might find themselves getting a much closer and more dangerous encounter" than they were expecting.
"The cassowaries at Murray Falls have become habituated to receiving food from humans and have begun to enter camps, and actively take food from plates or the hands of campers," he said.
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"This is learned behaviour because people have deliberately or inadvertently fed the birds, and now the cassowaries are stalking the camping area expecting to receive a feed. Allowing cassowaries to associate humans with food at Murray Falls camping area is dangerous to both campers and the birds."
Diczbalis said feeding cassowaries is putting campers at risk of serious and potentially fatal injuries, particularly given the birds' large "dagger-like talons on their feet". "They may get aggressive if they can’t access food or feel threatened," he warned.
“We’re asking all campers in the area to ensure all food, scraps and rubbish is secured and not accessible to cassowaries. Extra vigilance is required around mealtimes, which could include eating inside tents, caravans or vehicles.”
Wildlife officers' plan to combat potentially deadly problem
Wildlife officers from the Queensland Parks and Wildlife Service have been visiting the camping area regularly to provide education to campers about cassowary behaviour.
They've been using specialised behavioural modification techniques to change the cassowary’s association between campsites and food. "This is encouraging the cassowaries to stop hanging around the camping area, and to return to the rainforest and their natural foraging behaviour," Diczbalis said.
The maximum penalty for anyone caught deliberately feeding a cassowary is $6,452.
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