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Oberle

Trusted Member
source: http://www.theguardian.com/environment/2015/feb/25/european-eagle-owl-attacks-dutch-town-purmerend

Apparently this spate of owl attacks is due to: 1) people raising owls in captivity then letting them go, 2) the owl version of PMS :hilarious:

A Dutch town has advised residents to arm themselves with an umbrella when going out at night after a mysterious spate of bloody rogue owl attacks.

Over the last three weeks, the European eagle owl has silently swooped on dozens of people in Purmerend, in the north of the Netherlands, with many victims requiring hospital treatment.

The latest aerial assault on Tuesday evening saw two members of a local athletics club attacked, with one runner requiring stitches for six head wounds caused by the nocturnal bird of prey’s talons.

The club has cancelled all training until further notice.

Residents and workers at Prinsenstichting home for the disabled have been left terrified following at least 15 attacks, spokeswoman Liselotte de Bruijn told AFP.

“During the day there’s no problem, but at night we now only venture outside armed with umbrellas, helmets and hats, anything really, to protect ourselves,” said De Bruijn.

“The problem is that you don’t hear the owl before it strikes. Its claws are razor-sharp,” she said.

“We hope the city will soon catch this rogue bird.”

* * *

Gejo Wassink of the Netherlands’ OWN owl foundation said the bird’s behaviour was unusual.

“Either the owl was reared in captivity and released into the wild and now associates humans with food – meaning it’s not really ’attacking’ people.”

“Or it may have heightened hormone levels as the breeding season starts, which influences its behaviour and makes it defend its territory,” Wassink told AFP, saying the bird “appears to be a female”.

* * *

The European eagle owl is one of the largest owl species, with a wingspan of up to 1.80m (almost 6ft) and weighing up to 3kg (7lb)​
 
This is the shit my nightmares are made of :nailbiting: I am utterly terrified of birds.

Two words: Barn Swallows...:arghh:
 
OMG! They are so gorgeous though!!!
Such a big owl! BEAUTIFUL!
I definitely wouldn't want to get attacked by one of those! Yikes! I have gotten to hold a Hawk before, and their talons are pretty brutal. I can just imagine The Eagle Owls talons! WOOO!
 
This is the stupidest Dutch story since the 'meadow panther' a few years back. And yes, it did turn out to be a big cat.

We don't have a lot going on :meh:
 
I understand they're majestic birds and all, but this one is obviously fucked-up so cue the shotgun and put an end to this stupid shit before someone loses an eye!
 
I don't like birds and birds don't like me. I have been attacked by them several times, the most recent by a crow at the Florida welcome center. Is anyone surprised by that location? I was just thankful not to have my face chewed off by a human.
 
Owls are mysterious, which makes them interesting. And this is one really mysterious motherfucker. Why don't they make it the town icon or something? They need to embrace this oddity, that's the way to fix it.
 
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