Oh man, Canberra cyclists cannot catch a break.
The poor bastards just got through magpie swooping season, but now they’re being terrorised by a much larger and arguably more terrifying type of bird: an emu.
Two cyclists – ACT resident Chris Wilson and another unnamed one – were chased by a male emu on Paddys River Road yesterday.
“Roadrunner’s revenge,” Wilson wrote on Facebook, posting a video of the encounter that’s notching up the views. “This big bird bully chased me on my bike near the Cotter [River] today, and I wasn’t the only one. I’d like to see Wile E Coyote take on this brute. That’s not a roadrunner, this is a roadrunner!”
We repeat: Big. Bird. Bully. Bless you, mate.
Both Wilson and the other cyclist escaped unharmed, but the birds are powerful buggers and have been known to (extremely rarely) attack humans when spooked; a Queensland man in his 50s ended up in hospital with a deep, 25cm-long cut in his left forearm after an emu attack last year.
The ACT government is now warning people visiting the Lower Cotter Catchment or Pierces Creek State Forest to be aware of the emu, which is believed to have also chased two families picnicking in the area last month.
“The best thing to do would be to gently walk away because they’re just protecting their young and once they realise the threat is gone they will typically stop chasing,” said Access Canberra ranger Shelley Swain, who says it’s the first year they’ve received complaints about emus.
“We are in breeding season now so also ensure people don’t feed them because as soon as we see people lure them into food they will keep coming down for it and that’s when they start that behaviour.”
Source: Canberra Times.
Photo: Facebook / Chris Wilson.
