Cassowaries at a popular Queensland camping area have become habituated and are now boldly approaching park visitors and pestering them for food.
The Department of Environment, Science and Innovation says the Murray Falls camping area in the Girramay National Park near Cardwell is situated in prime cassowary habitat … but warns the giant birds are not always friendly.
“Visitors to the cassowaries at Murray Falls camping area might find themselves getting a much closer, and potentially dangerous, encounter than they were expecting,” said Senior Wildlife Officer Alex Diczbalis. “The cassowaries at Murray Falls have become habituated to receiving food from humans and have begun to enter camps and actively take food from plates or the hands of campers.”
Cassowaries at Murray Falls are causing issues for campers by stealing or attempting to steal food. PIC: DESI
He said this was a learned behaviour and had happened because people have deliberately or inadvertently fed the birds, and now the cassowaries are stalking the camping area expecting to receive a feed.
“Allowing cassowaries to associate humans with food at Murray Falls camping area is dangerous to both campers and the birds,” he said. “It puts campers at risk of serious and potentially fatal injuries, as cassowaries are large birds with dagger like talons on their feet, and they may get aggressive if they can’t access food or feel threatened.”
Campers are being warned about the cassowaries. PIC: DESI
Mr Diczbalis said rangers and wildlife officers from the Queensland Parks and Wildlife Service have been visiting the camping area regularly to provide education to campers about cassowary behaviour.
“Wildlife officers are also using specialised behavioural modification techniques to change the cassowary’s association between camp sites and food,” he said. “This is encouraging the cassowaries to stop hanging around the camping area and to return to the rainforest and their natural foraging behaviour.
Rangers are asking all campers in the area to ensure all food, scraps and rubbish is secured and not accessible to cassowaries.
“Extra vigilance is required around mealtimes, which could include eating inside tents, caravans or vehicles,” Mr Diczbalis said. “People need to stop giving cassowaries access to food to ensure they remain in the rainforest where they can continue their important role of native seed dispersal.”
The maximum penalty for anyone caught deliberately feeding a cassowary is $6,452.
Cassowaries are listed as endangered, with an estimated 4,400 cassowaries left in the wild.
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We’ve had a few unwanted encounters with Emus.
We never encourage wild birds or feed them.
In an Outback NSW caravan park we had an Emu come under our awning & dunk its head in my coffee mug.
While staying at Little Desert Lodge in Victoria’s Wimmera my wife was continually harassed by an amorous, highly excited ”pet” male Emu. After talking to the management we were told that he does it to all females staying at the lodge.
I was charged by a cassowary at Murray Falls two weeks ago. I was holding a book in my hand and it mistook it for food. I ran inside my van and it came right up to the door peering in. Very scary moment. They are so fast. The following morning I saw a man feeding them whilst his partner was photographing them. I shouted at them to not feed them. Signs all over the campground and rangers instructions were ignored.
A Cassowary leg on a spit is too tough to eat..
Again humans stuffing up nature
Someone will be badly hurt & the Cassowary will be blamed. They are magnificent & endangered birds. Seeing one is real privilege but that alone is clearly not enough for some.
We were camping at Murray falls about four years a go and we had an encounter with the cassaway, and people approached it then unaware of how dangerous they are it appears that these birds are getting more game, it’s a privilege to see them
i have been an animal keeper and a cassowary can use its talons to disembowel you… dont mess with them…
Was once having a barbeque at a popular picnic spot when a head and long neck came over my shoulder and nicked a hot sausage off my plate.
It was a large emu and was trying to come back for seconds until I shooed him off.
I have seen them snatch a sausage off a hot barbecue plate and try for more.
Can become a real nuisance.
Make it $60,453 fine for feeding cassowaries, dingoes and crocodiles.
Just maybe idiots may get the message.
Oh, and foreclose on collections. NO excuses.
Just shows you how dumb and stupid and being very ignorant people become