Cassowary Crossing - Mission Beach, Queensland.
S 17° 55.452 E 146° 00.995
55K E 395844 N 8017925
Located on the access road to Mission Beach this Cassowary Crossing sign stands for all to see.
Waymark Code: WM7EQ8
Location: Queensland, Australia
Date Posted: 10/15/2009
Views: 12
The cassowary (genus Casuarius) is a very large flightless bird native to the tropical forests of New Guinea, nearby islands and northeastern Australia.
Cassowaries feed mainly on fruits, though all species are truly omnivorous and will take a range of other plant food including shoots, grass seeds, and fungi in addition to invertebrates and small vertebrates.
Cassowaries are very shy, but when disturbed, they are capable of inflicting serious injuries to dogs and children.
The Southern Cassowary is endangered in Queensland, Australia.
The Southern Cassowary is the third tallest and second heaviest living bird, smaller only than the ostrich and emu.
Of the vast habitat that cassowaries used to inhabit, today only 20 - 25% remains.
Of recent cassowarry deaths motor vehicle strikes accounted for 55% of them.
Hand feeding of cassowaries poses a big threat to their survival. Contact with humans encourages Cassowaries to take most unsuitable food from picnic tables.
It was reported Thursday, September 17, 2009 in The Cairns Post, Two Police officers at Mission Beach, south of Cairns, were standing on the side of a road trying to clock speeding drivers when a grumpy Cassowary emerged from the rainforest, "He was taller than me … and he wasn’t happy. He looked at us, watched us and then came right up next to us. He was so close to me it wasn’t funny”. Sgt Dan Gallagher said, "You could see he didn’t want us around … we packed up and got out of there."
The grumpy cassowary is believed to be the same adult bird that chased a car recently after standing his ground in the middle of South Mission Beach Rd – the same road police were on yesterday. A driver reported the bird for refusing to budge and then going up to the stationary vehicle’s window and eyeballing her.
The territorial bird then chased the car as it drove slowly away. Sgt Gallagher said the cassowary had put the wind up him about 7am. "We`d been there about an hour ... we could hear something in the bush and then out he came," he said.
"It seemed he had a problem with the radar site too."
Cassowaries have a reputation for being dangerous to people and domestic animals. The 2007 edition of the Guinness World Records lists the cassowary as the world's most dangerous bird. During World War II American and Australian troops stationed in New Guinea were warned to steer clear of them.
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