Spotted a male and its babies 😀 Cassowary is the world 2nd heaviest bird. They’re far more endandered than koala. There’s approximately 1200 of them left in the wild!
Like many other Australian animals, this one kills and eat poisonous stuff. It has claws similar to the raptors (dinosaur which opened doors in The Jurassic Park). It specialises in disembowel its threat, like us humans. They’re the no. 1 human killing bird.
I was doing the rainforest walk in Cape Tribulation. It was pretty quiet with bugs making sounds and the occasional birds moving in the trees. Then suddenly, a branch breaking sound was coming from behind the bush… 
There he was, standing 1.4m (?) high. The babies were out in the open first, the papa bird followed. I was really excited 😀
I am no expert with birds. Th only reason why I know that it’s a male is because of their known habbits. The male looks after the young from between 6-18 months. Well, as soon as the chicks becomes big or relatively threatening size, papa bird will kick them off the territory. Territory means everything to these birds. They live in solitary and don’t play well with others. They’re naturally aggressive.
Like the koalas, they also eat stuff that are toxic. For example, this blue fruit here, cassowary plum. Word of caution, if you touch this fruit, don’t touch your eyes or eat without washing your hands thoroughly.
According to the local signs, cassowary are critical to the ecosystem as they’re the only ones that can distribute the toxic fruit seeds. Some seeds even needs to go through their digestive system to function properly.
I did not have my 300m lens, so yup, this was a close encounter. I was less than 1m from this stunning creature 😉
Spread the word and save some birds 😀
Tip
- Do not feed them. Our food may potentially kill them. They have a very sensitive system. Secondly, it teaches them to approach humans… not good.
- If the bird straightens up, it is a sign of aggression. Do NOT run. Walk backwards slowly and look at the birds feet.
Where was I?
Marrdja Boardwalk
Oliver Creek, Cape Tribulation Road, Daintree National Park
Camera: Canon 5D mark 3, Sony Z3+
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12 Comments
You are certainly brave Joyce. I have not seen a cassowary in the wild although seen plenty of droppings. The parents can get aggressive and protective with babies. Did you have a guide advising you and armed with a stun gun? Cassowaries kill people, usually more dogs but certainly people are attacked and occasionally killed especially at the back of Cairns.
Yes, I’m aware that they’re the most dangerous bird on the planet. I was pretty careful when it stretched its neck; I did retreat a little. Pretty lucky that this papa bird was chilled with me.
???? is stun gun allowed in Aussie? It’s my no. 1 accessory in South Africa ????????
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Great pics! You really were close! They look so prehistoric, don’t they? I saw one at Cape Trib, too. But I didn’t know back then that they were dangerous!
They are prehistoric indeed. We’re both very lucky to spot them 😀 Ja, they do kill. Like many other Aussie animals *LOL*
Yes, everything’s so deadly there! ????
Great post!
Thank you, Sam ????
Welcome Joyce! 😉
Wow, close up indeed!
???? thank you for dropping by