“Great Skuas in particular are renowned for dive-bombing anyone that gets too close to the nest, and colonies of Arctic Terns will protect their babies by aggressively mobbing any intruders," he told The Independent. After delving into the evidence, Davis was convinced that an owl had attacked Kathleen Peterson, setting into motion the events that would lead to her death at the bottom of the stairs. A 2003 historical study of 221 cassowary attacks showed that 150 had been against humans: 75% of these had been from cassowaries that had been fed by people, 71% of the time the bird had chased or charged the victim, 15% of the time they kicked. But it’s not a joke. A grisly whodunit may rest on the oddest criminal defense theory in recent history. Are you sure you want to delete this comment? The victims of those strikes, which earned the bird(s) the name “Owlcapone,” suffered from multiple half-inch talon cuts. It is lurid, tinged with drugs and alcohol, replete with an ongoing extramarital affair with a prostitute, and soaked in blood—lots of blood. Want to bookmark your favourite articles and stories to read or reference later? Red-winged blackbirds and other avian species are stepping up their divebombing attacks on humans. Since the website was created in 2016 more than 5,000 reports have been logged. “The other wounds that are on her body seem to give a compelling case to this having been done by an owl,” he said. But when she reached the last step, she fell backwards and tumbled to the bottom of the staircase. The National Audubon Society protects birds and the places they need, today and tomorrow, throughout the Americas using science, advocacy, education, and on-the-ground conservation. Native plants provide birds with the food they need. Independent Premium Comments can be posted by members of our membership scheme, Independent Premium. If a 175-pound human were struck with the same intensity, it would feel like being hit by a 13-ton truck. Like Dr Portugal, she said this was largely caused by humans encroaching on bird habitats. As Pollard discovered, the strands in the victim’s left hand contained three small feathers. In a new book, photographer Paul Bannick brings his wide-eyed subjects to life through rare and inspiring snapshots. “When you look at her injuries, they do appear consistent with being made by an owl’s talons,” Peterson’s defense attorney Mary Jude Darrow tells Audubon. It also spawned a criminal defense theory that sounds like a punch line: The owl did it. Defensive behavior toward people can take the form of loud vocalizations, feigning injury, or pursuing or attacking the intruder. Walk close to a Barn Swallow nest with young ones and you’ll know what I mean. And even though the "Owl Theory," which states that a Barred Owl is responsible for the chain of events that led to Kathleen Peterson's eventual demise, hasn't made it to trial yet, depending what happens next in the case, there's a slight chance it could still be presented. “But I would hate to risk my client’s life or future on that argument.”. In a 25-minute interview with Raleigh news station WRAL in March, Pollard laid out the Owl Theory in great detail. The reason for this is twofold: The state improperly stored and thus contaminated crime scene evidence, including the couple’s blood-stained clothes, and also failed to order DNA testing of the victim’s clothes to rule out an attack by an outside party. Photo: Dick Dickinson/Audubon Photography Awards. Bird attacks on people are getting more common according to wildlife experts who say the creatures are particularly likely to dive bomb those straying onto their territory at this time of year. On Monday in Durham, North Carolina, the Peterson murder case is scheduled to enter what may be the last stage in the twisted legal proceedings that have dragged on since December 9, 2001. Her autopsy revealed seven lacerations, including very deep ones in the back of her scalp, and pine needles stuck to one of her hands, which both held clumps of her own hair. Overwhelmed and Understaffed, Our National Wildlife Refuges Need Help. Peterson was out of earshot while his wife fought off the bird. ‘As available nest sites become harder to find these interactions will increase,’ says Dr Steve Portugal, Find your bookmarks in your Independent Premium section, under my profile.

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