A Rare Find

As Tanya was driving us from Townsville up to the Atherton Tablelands, we were lucky enough to chance upon this rare find. A Cassowarry is a large, flightless bird, native to New Guinea and northern Australia. We were so excited at seeing this fine creature in the open - they usually stick to forested areas - that as soon as the car stopped Richard and I tumbled out into the rain, anxious to capture at least one photo. We didn't even wait to hear Tanya's stern warning, "Be careful. They can be really mean birds and have been known to attack humans. Just don't trust them." However, Tanya was even more excited than we were at seeing it. On subsequent days, whilst walking through the bush, we found official signs warning people to be careful of Cassowarries and advising what to do in case of confrontation. If I remember rightly, it was to walk backwards away from the bird and hold a backpack or something similar in front of you to help ward off attacks. This was the only one we saw - perhaps that was just as well.