A carpenter was given a shock when the world's most dangerous bird casually strolled into his workshop one day.
Cassowaries are considered to be the deadliest bird in the world despite being incredibly shy.
They can stand as tall as 1.8 metres and weigh up to 70 kilograms, which basically means they could fight in the super welterweight if they were human. A terrifying prospect.
The bird's legs can deliver powerful kicks and their claws grow as long as 10 centimetres.
Advert
So you can imagine why the sight of one walking into your workshop while you're trying to get a day's work done might be a slightly worrying prospect.
However, Tony Fleming from Julatten, north Queensland in Australia, took a remarkably relaxed view about it all.
He was working on timber furniture when the incident happened.
"Over a period of a year or so the Cassowary would wander around my property, chewing up plums and whatever it feeds on," Tony told the Daily Mail.
Advert
"Then one day it just meandered into my shed."
Fleming did admit he was initially alarmed, but came to realise that in fact the Cassowary just wanted to inspect his shed.
"I had friends down the road who had never seen the Cassowary," he said.
"One of them was a photographer so they came around and took a photo."
The bird was a regular to the locals, and had even been spotted in the nearby pub - while Mr Fleming also said it had been seen on the local campsite.
Advert
"My wife was having her 50th birthday celebration and there were a heap of campers on our property," Fleming explained.
"We woke up in the morning and found it wandering around the campsite and everyone was feeding it like a pet."
Admittedly tales of danger seem to be thin on the ground regarding this particular Cassowary - in fact it was so well liked it earned the nickname Romper Stomper.
However, Mr Fleming admitted Romper Stomper does have an aggressive side and isn't friendly with all of the locals.
Advert
"A guy at the local pub had been attacked," he said.
"He was wandering down the road and this thing came for him. He survived. He was all right."
To put into context just how dangerous a Cassowary can be, back in 2019 a 75-year-old Florida man was killed by one after being attacked by it.
According to authorities, Marvin Hajos was attacked by the bird, after he fell over near it. He was taken to hospital by paramedics, but died later on from his injuries.
Advert
The man was breeding the birds, which are usually found in Australia and New Guinea. He was known as an experienced breeder and was said to have kept other kinds of exotic animals for decades.
"It looks like it was accidental," deputy chief Jeff Taylor told the Gainesville Sun newspaper.
"My understanding is that the gentleman was in the vicinity of the bird and at some point fell. When he fell, he was attacked."
Featured Image Credit: Facebook/Tony Fleming