With its adorable tufts of downy feathers this tiny baby bird might seem cute at first, but it is anything but having been branded the ‘world’s deadliest’ chick – and it has just hatched in the UK for the first time.
Birdland, in the Cotswolds, has celebrated its first successful hatching of a southern cassowary chick – renowned as one of the world’s largest and most lethal flightless birds.
Often compared to dinosaurs in appearance, cassowaries are similar to emus and have four-inch, ‘dagger-like’ claws on each foot that can cut open predators – including humans, with one of the animals having killed a man in Florida in 2019.
Standing up to 6ft tall and weighing up to 130lbs (59kg), the animals have been branded the world’s most dangerous bird by experts at the San Diego Zoo in America.
The birth of the chick on British soil is a major milestone for the Bourton-on-the-Water wildlife attraction – which has been trying to breed the fearsome giant fliers for more than 25 years.
Birdland, in the Cotswolds, has announced its first successful hatching of a southern cassowary chick – renowned as one of the world’s largest and most lethal flightless birds (pictured is the chick)
Often compared to with dinosaurs, cassowaries are similar to emus and have four-inch, dagger-like claws on each foot that can cut open predators – including humans, with one of the animals having killed a man in Florida in 2019
Pictured is an example of what one of the bird’s huge, ‘dagger-like’ claws looks like when the creature is fully grown
The ‘world’s most deadly bird: What are Cassowaries?
Often compared with dinosaurs in appearance, cassowaries are similar to emus and stand up to six feet tall and weigh up to 130 pounds (59kg)
Cassowaries are similar to emus and stand up to 6ft tall and weigh up to 130lbs (59kg).
Armed with a four-inch, dagger-like claw on each foot, they can slice open people or predators.
In 2019, one of the animals was responsible for killing a 75-year-old man in Florida, America, after he fell into its enclosure.
They can also jump seven feet straight up, can swim and run at speeds of 31mph.
The have been dubbed the world’s most dangerous bird by experts from the San Diego Zoo in America.
The terrifying creatures are traded as a commodity in New Guinea.
And a scientific study claimed ancient humans were raising the birds as far back as 18,000 years ago.
The chick, which is part of the European Endangered Species Programme, is only the fourth to hatch in Europe in 2024 and the first born in the UK since 2021.
The parents, a male from Avifauna in Alphen, Netherlands, and a female from Frankfurt, Germany, have been together at Birdland since 2012.
Keeper Alistair Keen said: ‘It has been a massive effort from the entire team here over many years, but it’s all been worthwhile when you see this amazing humbug-coloured chick exploring its new surroundings under the watchful eye of a very protective father.
‘Cassowaries have a reputation as one of the world’s most dangerous birds and their size, speed and power combined with their dagger-like, 10-centimetre claws mean we have to take looking after them extremely seriously.
‘They are the only birds on site that have their own risk assessment as they are potentially so hazardous.
‘In order to avoid disturbing them during the incubation, we’ve been using video cameras to monitor the nest and when we caught our first glimpse of the tiny chick it was a very special moment indeed.’
It is the male who incubates the eggs and looks after the hatchlings, in a rare occasion for the animal world.
He sits on the nest for up to two months.
Once the brown-and-tan striped chicks hatch, it’s the male who leads them to his regular feeding grounds, protecting them and teaching them the ways of the world.
Youngsters stay with their father for up to 16 months.
The name ‘cassowary’ is thought to originate from two Papuan words: ‘kasu’ (meaning horned) and ‘wari’ (meaning head). It refers to the bird’s prehistoric looking casque, a hollow structure made of keratin on the top of their head.
Found in the tropical rainforests of Australia, Indonesia, and Papua New Guinea, the southern cassowary’s conservation status was recently re-designated from Vulnerable to Least Concern.
However, deforestation and increasing human activity is providing a growing threat to the birds’ long team survival prospects.
Although flightless, like other members of the ratite family including ostriches and emus, they are powerful runners reaching speeds of up to 31 mph.
Pictured is an adult cassowary tending to its clutch of eggs at Birdland Park & Gardens in Bourton-on-the-Water
The birth of the chick (pictured) on British soil is a major milestone for the wildlife attraction – which has been trying to breed the fearsome giant fliers for more than 25 years
Despite lacking the ability to fly, the giant birds can also jump up to 7ft and have even been filmed swimming.
In 2019 a Florida breeder was fatally attacked by one of the creatures.
Marvin Hajos, 75, was killed by a cassowary when he fell and the bird and used its claw to rip into him, on his property near Gainesville.
Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission spokeswoman Karen Parker said that Mr Hajos did not have a permit to own the animal.
Native to New Guinea, a study has shown that ancient humans used to breed the deadly birds on the island some 18,000 years ago.
Researchers from Pennsylvania State University studied ancient eggshells, and found that some younger eggs were burnt and eaten by ancient humans, but other eggs were likely left to fully develop and hatch.
These cassowary chicks were raised to adulthood before they were killed for their feathers and meat, which is still eaten in some parts of New Guinea as a delicacy.
At the time, humans on the island may have gone to great efforts to collect eggs of the cassowary, despite the bird being capable of causing fatal injuries.
Over the coming weeks it is hoped visitors to Birdland in the Cotswolds will have a rare opportunity to catch a glimpse of the fast-growing chick in its enclosure.
***
Read more at DailyMail.co.uk