Photo: Konrad Wothe/imageBROKER/REX/Shutterstock
Rhodenizer said that a medical examiner’s report has not yet been completed and that Hajos’ birds remain on private property as of Saturday.
Alachua County Fire Rescue Deputy Chief Jeff Taylor told PEOPLE that there were two cassowaries on site and that Hajos had raised both of them.
Cassowary.Education Images/UIG/Getty
“He was doing what he loved,” a woman who said she was Hajos’ fiancée told theGainesville Sun.
Cassowaries are large, flightless birds known for a horn-like bump on the top of their heads, distinctive bright blue necks, and jet-black feathers. They are native to New Guinea and Australia.
The birds have a 4-inch “dagger-like claw” on their inner toes that can easily slice a predator with one kick, according to theSan Diego Zoo.
Despite their large size — females can weigh up to 167 pounds, and males 121 pounds — cassowaries can jump nearly 7 feet in the air, run up to 31 miles per hour, and are excellent swimmers, according to the zoo.
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A 2016 article from theSmithsoniandescribed them as the “world’s most dangerous bird.”
“On each three-toed foot, one nail is longer than the rest,” the article explains of the cassowary’s claw. “At five inches, it’s probably the closest thing you’ll find in nature to a railway spike. It isn’t particularly sharp, but it is deadly.”
Cassowaries are listed as aClass II speciesunder the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission’s captive wildlife regulations and require a permit to own.
Class II wildlife “can also pose a danger to people,” and require owners to have substantial experience and specific cage requirements.
Other animals in the same class include alligators, clouded leopards, giraffes, wolves, coyotes and jackals.
source: people.com
