Brent Matsuda said he'd seen signs at Squint Lake Park warning of an aggressive owl in the area, but he "didn’t think it would be a big concern" until his toddler was attacked Saturday afternoon.
We've all by now probably seen the leopard party meme. If not:
Barred Owls are one of the more territorial owls, and news of their aggression towards humans are not uncommon around breeding season (December to March) as owls protect their home territory.
In the full article the dad, who is said to be a biologist, ignored the signs warning of the Barred Owls, and let his toddler run loose. The child was cut by the owl's talons, almost cutting his eye, and now the father is calling for the park to have the owl put down.
I know dramatic action is sometimes taken when a dog attacks someone, but dogs are domestic animals. I'm not sure punishing a wild animal for doing what is its nature is correct.
I try to avoid non-positive things here, but in looking up owl articles and such to share, there are many articles about barred owls and pedestrians getting into altercations. I'm curious as to what your opinions are in this. We're probably all pro-owl here, but do you feel there's a point where an owl can be problematic enough that some sort of action should be taken, and what should that action be?
Anyone who knowingly enters a wild animals territory should know the risks, doubly so when warnings are clearly posted.
What happened is awful, but the father was absolutely negligent in his actions, and is jumping to an extreme response. Bird did what bird is going to do. We're invading his territory, as far as he's concerned.
What he ordered:
What he got:
I agree, and I feel this situation is not ideal for the owl either as it has to be burning lots of energy and getting stressed out defending this spot so much. Hopefully next year it's going to look for another home so everyone can be happy.
Dad definitely seems like he should have known to exercise more caution.