'He screamed out in terror': Little boy could go blind in one eye after magpie attack
A one-year-old boy from Belmont could lose sight in one eye after being attacked by a swooping magpie in a Perth park.
Little Jacob Gale's left eye was punctured by a sharp magpie beak while he was at popular Whiteman Park.
The little boy had surgery on Sunday but it is unclear if he will be able to see out of the eye again.
Jacob's father Adam said his son "screamed out in terror" as the magpie flapped and hovered over him.
"It's penetrated into the lens and they've had to remove the lens of the eye because it's damaged," Adam Gale said.
The bird came out of nowhere and went straight for little Jacob's face.
The family was on their way to a special train display when the frightening magpie attack occurred.
A Whiteman Park spokesperson said there were signs in place warning visitors of the dangers of swooping magpies.
Adam Gale said he would like to see the introduction of an "exclusion zone", giving people a 50 metre clearance area from where magpies are most likely to swoop.
Wildlife experts say magpie season generally begins in August and finishes around October.
They advise people to wear hats and sunglasses in bushland areas.
Parks and Wildlife officers say the bird has swooped on people before and will now be destroyed.
In the meantime, it will be several weeks before doctors know whether Jacob is likely to regain his eyesight.
