Magpie Swoops On Raw Steaks In Coles, Doesn’t Pay
"There's an unexpected item in the bagging area..."
An errant magpie has found its way into a Coles supermarket and engaged in one of its most effective and terrifying acts - swooping at flesh.
In this instance, however, the swooping was targeted at some packaged meat, rather than live human flesh.
The incident was captured on Diana Ortega's TikTok and shows the bird eating the meat in the Coles display fridge.
While supermarket shoppers may have been relieved they were not the targets of this hungry, hungry bird, its decision to dine in Coles is not all fun and games.
As well as the sanitary risks posed to humans by having the bird in store, the animals can become severely dehydrated and perish within hours while trapped inside the store's four walls.
Indeed, shops around the world have been forcibly closed in recent years as authorities attempt to rescue birds.
At the Grand Arcade in Cambridge, firefighters were called in to rescue a stranded pigeon in 2017, according to Express.
Closer to home, firefighters were called to Queensland's Stanthorpe to save a magpie stuck in a shopping centre sign in 2019, the ABC reported at the time.
Plus, in August, an expert warned the magpie swooping season could be worse due to mask-wearing mandates in various jurisdictions.
Griffith University magpie expert Darryl Jones explained that the birds can learn people's faces and the coverings can interfere with this process.
"The mask comes into this story because most of the magpies which swoop pedestrians, do so to only one or two individuals who for some reason have become regarded as a threat," he told NCA Newswire.
"Almost every magpie lives in a small territory with about 20 to 30 people living there with them. The birds never leave this patch and get to know all these people very well.
"We know that they recognise people by their facial features so when these are covered by a mask, they can't distinguish between everyone.
"So, just to be safe [in their minds], they seem to be saying 'I can't tell who is that nasty one so I had better belt everyone.'"
Then in September, Sydney's Lane Cove Council voted to cull two magpies in the area after a spate of swooping attacks.
The Council's 'License to Harm' was available until December 1 last year.
Featured Image Credit: Diana Ortega/TikTokVivienne Kelly