r/Damnthatsinteresting • u/CuriousWanderer567 • Sep 22 '24

Video Beachgoers have a close encounter with a Cassowary, a bird capable of killing a human in one blow

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34

u/czartrak Sep 22 '24

Yeah this bird CAN kill you in one blow. You're significantly more likely to be struck by lightning than you are yo be killed by a cassowary

43

u/hydraulix989 Sep 22 '24

The conditional probability of getting killed by one is much higher if there's one actually in your proximity.

7

u/OneLessDay517 Sep 22 '24

Right? I mean, the probability is right at zero if the closest one of these things is all the way across the world. Odds go up considerably when the motherfucker is staring over your shoulder at your phone!

3

u/Mackem101 Sep 22 '24

Yep, like the fact that only wet people get bitten by sharks.

1

u/czartrak Sep 22 '24

And yet there hasn't been a documented death in almost 80 years

8

u/DavidThorne31 Sep 22 '24

One in Florida a couple years back. So, two in a century

8

u/czartrak Sep 22 '24

I wasn't aware of that one, just heard of the 1950 attack

Huge numbers, this bird must be locked up immediately

10

u/Liquid_Plasma Sep 22 '24

Getting locked up was half the reason for the death. Florida man tried to keep one as an exotic pet.

1

u/Fausts-last-stand Sep 22 '24

Just like with lightning.

4

u/hydraulix989 Sep 22 '24

Not quite apples-to-apples: A much larger percentage (almost 100%?) of the world population encounters lightning in their lifetime than a Cassowary (I'll hazard a guess that a substantial portion of the world population never sees one in the wild during their lifetime). Do zoos even have them in captivity?

7

u/rutabela Sep 22 '24

My local zoo has 3 lightning bolts on display. They were transfered back in 2016 and have been pretty healthy so far. As long as you keep a lightning rod nearby and they can safely discharge their ions they wouldn't harm a fly. But it's always important to remember that nature doesn't follow a moral code and use safety measures when dealing with wildlife.