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Nick Payne
Joined: 10 Jan 2004
Posts: 2626
Location: Canberra, Australia11/24/16 1:13 AM |
Getting chased by a bird your own size
Video shot just outside Canberra. I don't think the emu was really serious - they've been clocked running at 50kph over short distances and it would be hard to stay away from a determined one:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cM2sWR_YwmY
Mind you, I'd rather be attacked by an emu than a cassowary. An emu will just peck at you - the cassowary is much the same size and has large talons on its feet that can inflict quite a substantial wound - in Papua New Guinea the natives used to use the talons as spear points.
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daddy-o
Joined: 12 Apr 2004
Posts: 3307
Location: Springfield11/24/16 9:10 AM |
Happy Thanksgiving!
Nick, on behalf of the United States Cyclingforum folk I want to wish you
Happy Thanksgiving!
The national holiday of the United States, often described as "uniquely American," always held on the fourth Thursday of November, holder of the title "Turkey Day," and one that, after reading of your travels and global awareness, is a holiday you are likely to be keenly aware.
The first picture in the article of the table spread doesn't do the main course justice, so here's the second one... AND A SALUTE TO YOUR TIMELY POST!
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Jesus Saves
Joined: 16 Jun 2005
Posts: 1150
Location: South of Heaven11/24/16 10:49 AM |
Happy thanksgiving
That is one crazy bird. If you know the cyclist, I recommend he
watch this instructional safety video
on how handle encounter with emus. One fun fact, the video was made by Australia's all time top grossing entertainers.
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April
Joined: 13 Dec 2003
Posts: 6593
Location: Westchester/NYC11/24/16 11:06 AM |
Nick, you're making me want to move to Australia!
Who needs to fight the crowd of Americans in Canada? ;)
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dan emery
Joined: 11 Jan 2004
Posts: 6890
Location: Maine11/24/16 4:46 PM |
Hmmm
It would take a big oven to roast one of those suckers....
I looks up the cassowary - yikes!! I understand 'Roos can do a pretty good job with their toenail as well.
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Nick Payne
Joined: 10 Jan 2004
Posts: 2626
Location: Canberra, Australia11/25/16 4:52 AM |
quote:
I understand 'Roos can do a pretty good job with their toenail as well.
Actually, the main problem with kangaroos is that they have zero road sense, and they're just as likely to leap at you as away from you when you come along, whether in a car or on a bike. I've had a few close encounters with them on the bike; three of my cycling friends have come off after hitting them (or being hit by them); and across the country there are about 20,000 collisions between cars and kangaroos each year. I hit one in our car one night a few weeks ago - killed the roo, unfortunately, and also totaled the front bumper and radiator grille on the car.
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daddy-o
Joined: 12 Apr 2004
Posts: 3307
Location: Springfield11/25/16 10:40 AM |
Deer are our challenge, between being a herd animal and "zero road sense" individually. In the car I've watched one by the road for a few hundred yards, cruise control on, foot hovering on the brake pedal, and at the instant of no return he bounded into my grille. I hope he prospered but I doubt it.
I've come away from a few of those situations, including a total loss, shaking my head, wondering when natural selection will finally kick in. Since I stopped asking "why me?" and simply accepted they are attracted to my presence behind the wheel, the carnage has ceased. </humor>
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KerryIrons
Joined: 12 Jan 2004
Posts: 3236
Location: Midland, MI11/25/16 12:48 PM |
Crash bang
quote:
across the country there are about 20,000 collisions between cars and kangaroos each year.
Ha! Chump change! We have 50,000 car-deer collisions per year in Michigan. And deer have a higher center of gravity and so are more likely to hit the windshield. Rats with hooves.
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Sparky
Joined: 08 Dec 2003
Posts: 19083
Location: PDX11/25/16 1:31 PM |
20k VS 50k. What are the per capita figures?
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Nick Payne
Joined: 10 Jan 2004
Posts: 2626
Location: Canberra, Australia11/25/16 2:22 PM |
When I look at the figures, the population of Michigan is about ten million and the area of the state about 250,000 square likometres. That's about 40% of the population of Australia in an area about 3% of the size of Australia - not really surprising that the collisions are more frequent with everything crammed much closer together...
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Jesus Saves
Joined: 16 Jun 2005
Posts: 1150
Location: South of Heaven11/25/16 6:32 PM |
Which is a scarier encounter: helmet hunting magpies or emus?
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Nick Payne
Joined: 10 Jan 2004
Posts: 2626
Location: Canberra, Australia11/26/16 3:42 PM |
I can't compare the two, as I haven't been chased by an emu. However, emu attacks would be vanishingly rare compared to magpie attacks. Every cyclist around here gets regularly attacked by magpies during nesting season, to the extent that quite a lot of them ride around with a forest of zip ties poking up from their helmets. Here's a group of riders from the local touring club:
People even publish scholarly articles on magpie attacks:
https://theconversation.com/from-cable-ties-to-losing-eyes-how-to-survive-magpie-season-17579
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Tim123
Joined: 01 Apr 2004
Posts: 252
Location: Adelaide11/27/16 6:20 AM |
I'd rather get hit by a magpie (and regularly do in the Adelaide Hills) than stick zip ties on my helmet! Mostly they just try and intimidate and I just ignore them. There a a couple of nasty ones that have drawn blood, but they don't bother me too much.
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