What happened to ‘world’s most dangerous bird’ after it killed owner in gruesome incident

A 75-year-old man attacked by the ‘world’s most dangerous bird’ made a desperate 911 call before injuries resulted in death.

Marvin Hajos suffered horrific injuries at the hands of a cassowary at his property in Alachua County, Florida on 12 April 2019.

Hajos, who kept and bred exotic animals, had fallen near a fenced enclosure containing the huge flightless bird when it attacked him with its powerful legs.

The large exotic bird with knife-like claws can stand up to six feet tall and weigh more than 100 pounds.

During the emergency call, he struggled to give the dispatcher his address and pleaded: “Would you send an ambulance, please?”

He was also recorded saying: “Can you send an ambulance? I’m bleeding to death.”

After difficulties confirming his address, Hajos contacted an employee and asked him to call emergency services.

After being attacked by the bird, Marvin Hajos, 75, made a 911 call from his property in Alachua County, Florida (Handout)

The worker told the dispatcher that Hajos had repeatedly pleaded: “Send an ambulance, send an ambulance, send an ambulance.”

Although he did not know exactly what had happened, the employee suspected one of the birds was responsible, saying: “I’m sure he got kicked by the cassowary.”

What happened to the cassowary?

Cassowaries are described as the ‘most dangerous bird in the world’ (Getty Stock Images)

Despite killing its owner, the cassowary was not put down. The bird was later sold at auction along with the rest of Hajos’s collection of exotic animals.

The identity of the person who bought the killer cassowary was not publicly revealed, and its current whereabouts remain unknown.

Emergency crews arrived at Hajos’s property around 14 minutes after the attack and found him unresponsive and barely breathing.

Paramedics attempted to save him before taking him to hospital, but he later died.

An autopsy revealed the gruesome extent of his injuries, having suffered more than a dozen wounds as one of the cassowary’s claws had severed a major artery in his arm, causing severe blood loss.

The large exotic bird with knife-like claws can stand up to six feet tall and weigh more than 100 pounds (Getty Stock Images)

"My understanding is that the gentleman was in the vicinity of the bird and at some point fell. When he fell, he was attacked," Deputy Chief Jeff Taylor of the Alachua County Fire Rescue Department told the Gainesville Sun newspaper.

The San Diego Zoo describes cassowaries on its website as the ‘most dangerous bird in the world’.

"Each three-toed foot has a dagger-like claw on the inner toe that is up to four inches long!" the San Diego Zoo website reads.

"The cassowary can slice open any predator or potential threat with a single swift kick. Powerful legs help the cassowary run up to 31 miles per hour through the dense forest underbrush."