Saturday, June 11, 2005
When crows attack
A jogger in a London park was attacked by two crows on Wednesday. Justin Keay was sent to the hospital for a tetanus shot after the crows pecked and clawed his head for several minutes. Experts are now warning runners about the birds "mobbing," basically ganging up on a possible predator. From the Evening Standard:
LinkStephanie Fudge, of the Wetland Centre in Barnes, said Mr Keay was probably close to the bird's fledglings, which may have fallen out of a nearby nest.
"It is quite common at this time of year for fledglings to try to fly," she said. "There was probably one about somewhere nearby which he was not aware of.
"Runners should be extra careful at this time of year. Crows can be aggressive - as these two have shown. If a jogger sees a baby crow they should stay well away."
Joanna Leonard, an interior designer, saw the birds - which she thought were ravens - in the same place an hour after their attack on Mr Keay.
"I thought they were very nasty, sinister things."she said. "Two of them focused in on me as I walked past. I couldn't help thinking of that Hitchcock film."
UPDATE: Mike Smith points out that a flock of crows is also called a "murder." Creepy. Link
posted by David Pescovitz at 03:58:54 PM permalink | Other blogs' comments
