RAPTOR ATTACKS ON PEOPLE

[Pages:4]j. RaptorRes.33(1):63-66 ? 1999 The Raptor ResearchFoundation,Inc.

RAPTOR ATTACKS ON PEOPLE

JAMESW. PARKER

AerieEast,RR 3, Box3110, FarmingtonM, E 04938 U.S.A.

Raptorsusuallyattack a narrow classof people, ricated accountsof attacksby eagleson adult hu-

namelybiologiststhat are approachingnests.Rap- mans and children. Other accounts,by Lumley

tor biologistsroutinelytoleratenest-defensebehav- (1939), Walker and Walker (1940), and Edge

ior, and most, when properly attired, confessto (1945), refuted claimsof the raptoffal carnivoreas

some enjoyment of a diving bird. An attack can a vicious, blood-thirsty predator. Mavrogordato

vary from a half-hearted dive missinga person by (1965) documented a rare court conviction of a

feet, to violent hitting, usuallyon or near the head, hunter who shot a falconry-trained Tawny Eagle

by closed or opened feet, or raking or grabbing (Aquila rapax) claiming it was about to attack his

with one or more talons. It can result, depending entire hunting party. Two references (Bedichek

on raptor size and temperament, in minor annoy- 1948, 1961) describedformal military responsesto

ance or serious lacerations, bruises, punctures, eagle harassmentof WWI biplanes,a situationthat

damaged eyes,torn clothing, auto accidents,and might todayconfront slow-flyings, ingle-engineair-

even death if complicatedby factorssuchasheart craft. Although there are few referencesto attacks

diseaseor a fall. Usually the result is harmless,al- on humans by diurnal raptors, Thompson (1964),

beit unexpected,but for the general public it con- Grossman and Hamlet (1964), Grizmek (1975)

veysan image of danger, of Hitchcock'smovie, and Voous(1977) conveythe impressionthat, be-

"The Birds," or of Velociraptoirns Spielberg's"Ju- causeof their scavengingin urban environments,

rassic Park."

Red and BlackKites(Milvusmilvusand M. migrans)

Media-sensationalizedraptor attackson private have the potential to harasspeople to pirate food

citizenswork stronglyand persistentlyagainstre- items. The National Wildlife Federation'sRaptor

spect for raptors, predation, and wildlife laws. ManagementTechniquesManual (Pendletonet al.

Therefore, it is important that they be explained 1987) makesno mention of raptorsdiving at hu-

to the general public, preferably by those knowl- mans, but its section on transplanting nests and

edgeableaboutraptors,managedif necessarya,nd nest contentsis applicableto the management of

be used asopportunitiesto educate.

diving problems.

This paper reviewsthe causesand recordsof rap- Owlshavemore of a reputation for attacks,often

tor attackson people, and discussems anagement vigorous.Burton (1973) highlightedthe tendency

solutionsto this problem. My background of col- for attackby ScreechOwls (Otusasio)and Strixspe-

lege teaching and researchfollowed by full-time cies,and Sparksand Soper (1970) mentionedthe

ecologicaleducation,frequentlyusinglive raptors Great Horned Owl (Bubovirginianus)asan attack-

in the public realm, leadsme to approachraptor er. In sections on antagonistic behavior, Voous

attack behavior and predation from a broad per- (1988) thoroughly documented and assesseddiv-

spectiveM. y concernfor raptor attackbehaviorre- ing by 12 owl species.The last two works men-

suitsfrom yearsstudyingthe MississippKi ite (Icti- tioned the prominence of attacksby owl species

nia mississippiensiws)h, ich seems to have had its that have become urbanized, including the south

nest-defensediving publicizedmore than any oth- Asian SpottedOwlet (Athenebrama).

er raptor species.

The mostextensiveaccountof attackson people

RECORDS AND CAUSES OF ATTACKS

by a single bird is of Heinrich's (1987) captiveraisedGreat Horned Owl. This bird accostedpeo-

Raptor attacks have no unifying literature and ple to protect cachedfood, to obtain food objects

litfie research attention. Most accounts are in the they held, and probablybecausethey approached

newspapersrather than in recentornithologicallit- Heinrich. This casedemonstratesa problem poten-

erature.A literaturesearchof the RaptorResearch tially causedby releaseof raptorswhich havebeen

and Technical AssistanceCenter (U.S. Geological improperly raised,a major concern for rehabilita-

Service) found only 18 references, mosfiy to fab- tors.

63

64

Exe^?4r)Er) ABSTRACTS

VOL. 33, NO. 1

In an evolutionarycontext,Newton (1979) not- Emotional and sensationalclaimsthat raptorsare

ed that geographic variation in diving behavior expressingvicious,vindictive behavior should be

probablycorrelateswith variationin pasttreatment counteredvigorouslyand quickly.

of raptor populationsby humans.He stressedthat killing of raptorswhich did not flee from humans MississiPPi KITES

at nestsselectedagainstaggressivedefensebehav- The mostpublicized defensivedivingon humans

ior. However,the rapid developmentof defensive in North America is by the MississippKi ite, a crow-

diving in urban populationsof MississippKi itesin- sized,migratory speciesthat nestsin 16 southeast-

dicates it is often the result of raptor experience ern and southcentral states of the U.S. Like all

and learning.

North Americanraptors,the MississippKi ite ispro-

Raptor biologistsoften collectcredibleaccounts tected by federal (Migratory Bird TreatyAct) and

of raptor attackson private citizens.Worldwide, statelaws.It defendsits nest aggressiveliyn flocks

these would comprise a massiveand fascinating againstpredators.This hasled to an urban public

data set,but there hasnot been, and probablynev- relations problem. The following description is

er will be, a goodwayto compile,verify,and pub- from Parker (1988a, 1996) unless otherwise refer-

lish these. One account (Anchorage Daily News, enced.

1989) describeda skierwho, on the slopesin Jan- During about 1945-65, MississippKi ites in the

uary, lost most of his clothing to a Great Horned Great Plains shifted their prairie nesting habitat

Owl in repeated, prolonged attacks.His compan- from riparian trees to farm woodlots,windbreaks,

ionswere not targeted.Another accountinvolved and mesquitegroves,all recentlyman-created.In

common folklore in Bel Air, Maryland in which a the late 1970s,they becameconspicuousurban

captive-raisedGreat Horned Owl terrorized two nesters.Now, they nest densely by hundreds or

housing developmentsby repeatedly landing on thousands in urban areas of all sizes in five states.

people to get food, with a preferencefor hot dogs. Urban roostinggroupsof 50-100 are not unusual.

In a seriesof five letters (N. Eng.J. Med. 1984, Kite populationshaverespondedto increasednest-

311:1703; 1985, 312:1066-67; 313:330, 1232) brief- ing habitat, and probably an increasedfood base

ly summarized in The Runner Magazine (April, stemmingfrom agricultural activity.Shaw (1985),

1985), severalmedical doctorsdiscusseddiving at Gennaro (1988a), and Parker (1996) showedits ur-

Swissjoggers by Common Buzzards(Buteobuteo). ban reproductive output is nearly twice the rural

Their explanationsof bird behaviorwere invalid, rate. Parker (1996) indicated that urban popula-

although they referred to a more competent ac- tions showed denser nesting, more nest reuse,

countof buzzardnestdefense(Fryer 1974). Such more yearlingsin populations, and probablyless

lettersshowa need for raptor biologiststo be more threat to neststhan in rural kite populations.

involvedin raptor public relations.

In 1978, 28 kites were shot in Ashland, Kansas

Interesting legal and public relations problems becauseone or more dove at people. Prosecution

can be generated when a raptor is killed as the of the four offenders was successful and resulted

result of its attack.In May, 1982, a retired deputy in major publicrelationsconflictsfor stateandfed-

sheriff washit by a nestingadult female Northern eral wildlife agenciesand the town. One offender

Goshawk(Accipitegr entilis)while in the woodsnear wasa stateconservationofficer.Incidentsof diving

Wilton, Maine. Fearful and without relevant knowl- have increasedannually in cities and townsof all

edge,he shotthe bird andwaspicturedin the local sizes.In urban areas, nesting pairs favor open,

paper holding the carcasstriumphantly. He was park-like areas including golf courses,city parks,

not prosecuted,and 1 was prohibited from using town squares,and residential lawns,where diving

the newspaperclipping of the shooting in a biol- is particularly disturbing to the public. Shaw

ogydepartment educationdisplayon environmen- (1985), Gennaro (1988b) and Parker (1979a,

tal education.

1979b, 1980) concurred that diving kites are a

Mostraptor attackson humanscan be explained small minority, that those hitting people are even

by humans:being too near nests;being too near a lessfrequent, and that usuallyonly one kite from

disadvantagedi,njured, or youngraptor; approach- a nest dives. However, because kites are so abun-

ing a raptor's food cache; encountering hand- dant, and humans pass so frequently, there are

raised (imprinted) but free-flying raptors; or lead- manyverified accountsof divingand hitting.These

ing, holding or wearing food or food-like objects. include severalgolfersrequiring stitches,two chil-

]MARCH 1999

EXPANDED ABSTRACTS

65

dren on bicyclesstruckby carsasa resultof diving, ment of Game and Fish to studyand manage the

an elderlywomanwho broke a bone when fright- state'smajor kite population at Clovis,where div-

ened enough to fall down steps,and a woman re- ing is frequent on a golf course.He used nest re-

ceivinga scratchedcheek leading to an eye infec- moval but also experimented extensivelywith the

tion. Children, dogs,and people on regular routes use of three-dimensionalkite models placed in

(e.g.,postmen)are frequenttargets,and postalde- trees to discourage kites from nesting in areas

livery is sometimesinterrupted. Subjectivelyo, ne where diving would be a problem. The models

gets the sensethat kitesin urban areasare more were of someusebut often only displacednesters

aggressive.

a short distance.This technique is alsohampered

MANAGEMENT RESPONSES

by shortageof modelsand time to use them. Justasdivingby MississippKi itesis apparentlya

In 1978, I began advisinglocal, state (Kansas, permanent problem, continued urbanization of

Oklahoma, New Mexico), and federal agencies raptor populationswill increasechancesfor future

(U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, U.S. Animal Dam- attackson humans by other raptor species.Attacks

age Control) in management,reduction,or elimi- on humanscan be expectedto continue for those nation of kite diving,asdescribedin a number of speciesnow involved, and could develop for spe-

popular, scientific, and technical publications (Parker 1979a, 1979b, 1980, 1987, 1988b, Rideout 1979, Engle 1980, Andelt 1983, Garrison 1986,

Gennaro 1988a, 1988b, DiCanio 1989, Sweet

1989). The KansasState Cooperative Extension

Service and the Martin Park Nature Center in

cies like the Merlin (Oliphant and Haug 1985, Palmer 1988). Information on the MississippKi ite and other raptorsknown to dive at humansshould be used by private and governmentbiologistsand educatorsto manage conflicts.

Oklahoma City have producedseveraleducational LITERATURE CITED

pamphlets and newsletter articles about diving, ANDELT,W.E 1983. MississippiKites. Coop. Ext. Ser.,

and a large educational poster was produced in

Univ. Nebraska, Lincoln, NE U.S.A.

1980 by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Serviceand the BEDICHEKR,. 1948. Golden Eagle:airplane hater. Sci.D,-

author.

gest23:56-60.

Complaintsabout defensivediving come to nature centers,police departmentsand government

offices. In Kansas and Oklahoma, action is taken

as needed by personnel of the U.S. Animal Damage Control, in cooperation with state wildlife agenciesand severalzoosand nature centers.Permanent metal educationalsignshavebeen posted at the Altus (Oklahoma) Air Force Base golf course, at a golf course in Clovis, New Mexico (Gennaro 1988b) and by the Martin Park Nature

1961. Adventures with a Texas naturalist. Dou-

bledayPress,New York, NY U.S.A. BURTONJ,.A. 1973. Owls of the world. Eurobook Ltd,

London, U.K.

DICANIO,M. 1989. The aerial gymnasticsof the Mississippi Kite. Pages19-21 in The factson file scientificyearbook 1989. Facts on File, Inc., New York, NY U.S.A.

EDGE,R. 1945. Eaglesin wonderland.Hawk Mountain SanctuaryAssoc.,New York, NY U.S.A.

ENGLEM, .C. 1980, MississippKi ite strikeshuman being.

Bull. Okla. Ornith. Soc. 13:21-22.

Center staff in Oklahoma City (Garrison 1986). FRYERG, . 1974.Aggressivebehaviorby buzzardsat nests.

Some of thesewarn of specificdiving birds and

Brit. Birds 67:238-239.

their nests,and are placed or moved as needed GARRISONN, . 1986. Nesting MississippiKites. Outdoor

each summer.

Oklahoma 42:32-37.

My responsesto diving incidentsinclude:rapid coordination betweengovernmentand private biologists,educators,and managers;quick educational contactwith the disturbedpublic;and if necessaryr,emovalof nestsof divingkites.Nestlingsor eggs (rarely) are transplantedto rural kite nests, or donated to an endangeredspeciesmanagement program in westTennessee(Parker 1984, Stokes

1985, Martin and Parker 1991).

GENNAROA,.L. 1988a. Breeding biologyof an urban population of MississippKi itesin New Mexico. Pages188190 in R.L. Glinski, B.C. Pendleton, M.B. Moss, M.N.

LeFranc,Jr., B.A. Millsap and S.A. Hoffman [EDS.], Proc. Southwest Raptor Management Symp. and Workshop. Natl. Wildl. Fed. Tech. Ser. No. 11. Washington, DC U.S.A.

. 1988b.Extentand controlof aggressivbeehavior towardhumansby MississippKi ites.Pages249-252 ,n

R.L. Glinski, B.C. Pendleton, M.B. Moss, M.N. Le-

In New Mexico, Gennaro (1988b) developed a

Franc,Jr., B.A.Millsapand S.A.Hoffman [EDs.],Proc.

program with support of the New Mexico Depart-

SouthwesRt aptorManagementSymp.andWorkshop.

66

EXe^?DED ABSTRACTS

VOL. 33, NO. 1

Natl. Wildl. Fed. Tech. Ser. No. 11. Washington,DC

1988a. MississippiKite. Pages 166-186 in R.S

U.S.A.

Palmer [Ed.], Handbook of North American birds.

GROSSMANM,.L. ANDJ. HAMLET.1964. Birds of prey of

Diurnal Raptors(Part 1). Vol. 4. YaleUniv. PressN, ew

the world. Bonanza Books, New York, NY U.S.A.

Haven, CT U.S.A.

GRIZMEKB,. 1975. Grizmek'sanimal life encyclopedia.

?1988b.The ace dive-bomberof the prairie is a

Van Nostrand Reinhold, New York, NY U.S.A.

terror on the green. Smithsonian19:54-63.

HEINRICH,B. 1987. One man's owl. Princeton Univ. Press,

1996. Urban ecology of the MississippKi ite.

New York, NY U.S.A.

Pages45-52 in D.M. Bird, D.F Varlandandjj. Negro

LUMLEY,E.D. 1939. The two eagles of North America.

lEDS.], Raptors in human landscapes.Academic

Emerg. m, Unit III, Publ. 78.

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MARTIN,K. ANDJ. PARKER1.991. MississippKi itesreborn PENDLETON,B., B. MILLSAP,K. CLINE AND D. BIRD. 1987.

in Tennessee. Tenn. Cons. 57:5-10.

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