Family’s ‘close encounter’ with ‘world’s most dangerous bird’ prompts warnings
A security camera outside a home in Australia captured a family’s “close encounter” with the “world’s most dangerous bird.” The incident prompted warnings from wildlife officials.
A mom and child were walking into a home in South Mission Beach in early May when they were approached by a male cassowary and its chick looking for food, the Queensland Department of the Environment, Tourism, Science and Innovation said in a June 18 news release.
Video footage, shared by the Australian Broadcasting Company on Facebook, shows the family coming up a pathway to the front door. The kid glances behind them, sees the cassowaries and runs toward the house.
The child makes it safely inside, and the mom closes the door quickly, the video shows.
Undeterred, the pair of cassowaries walks up to the front door and waits. The patio lights are turned on and off, but the birds don’t run away, the door camera shows. The adult cassowary almost seems to be looking into the house.
Cassowaries are widely considered the “world’s most dangerous bird” because their innermost toes have “a four- to five- inch claw” and their “incredibly powerful legs” enable them to “jump more than five feet high (and) deliver strong kicks,” according to the World Wildlife Fund.
Generally, cassowaries are “secretive” animals living in dense rainforests, but “in certain areas birds come near human habitation seeking food,” per the Australian Museum.
“When cassowaries associate humans with food, they can become impatient and aggressive, particularly when accompanied by chicks,” wildlife ranger Jeff Lewis said in the release.
The family’s cassowary encounter in South Mission Beach “is one of several cassowary interactions in the area which are linked to unlawful feeding,” Lewis said.
“In April, a man in his seventies was kicked in the leg by a cassowary which approached him expecting food,” the ranger said. “He was treated for a cut to his leg and was lucky the injuries weren’t worse.”
“These incidents are stark examples of the dangers of feeding cassowaries,” Lewis said. “Local wildlife rangers have been warning people of the risks, installing signage and providing education, but the unlawful feeding persists.”
South Mission Beach is in Queensland and along the northeastern coast of Australia, a roughly 1,430-mile drive northwest from Sydney.
This story was originally published June 24, 2025 at 11:22 AM with the headline "Family’s ‘close encounter’ with ‘world’s most dangerous bird’ prompts warnings."
