Two children risk losing their sight after attack by territorial magpie

A 76-year-old man has died in Sydney after trying to flee a swooping magpie.
Shane Miller
Nick Charity26 September 2018

Two young children may face losing their sight after violent magpie attacks left both of them with facial injuries.

There have even been calls to kill the magpie, which was reportedly protecting its young in "swooping season", when the birds are known to become more aggressive.

Australia's 7Plus news reported on Wednesday morning that two children, four-year-old Indi and five-year-old Finn, needed eye operations after a "savage" attack from a magpie in the Clarko Reserve on Saturday.

"They had operations to repair the iris and corneas of their right eyes," the channel said, and the "same magpie is being blamed for the savage attacks".

This is the "worst swooping period" in the year according to reports, with male birds across Australia defending their eggs and young in nests. They can be particularly responsive to children as they run around and make noise.

There are many signs on the site "which can't be missed", the reporters added. Doctors will not know for six months whether the two children's eyes will repair properly after surgery.

Authorities in the city of Stirling, near Perth, have applied to the Department of Biodiversity Conservation and Attractions for a "Dangerous Fauna Licence", which would allow the bird, which has caused significant grief to people in the northern suburb of Perth, to be killed.

Finn described the bird as “naughty”, after it attacked him while playing around in the trees.

His mum, Stacey Kelly, told The West Australian she saw him running towards her covering her eye with blood streaming down his face.

She added: “I love animals, so it’s difficult to say this but because of the viciousness of the attacks and the long-term consequences that the kids face, I think it’s time the rangers took more extreme action."

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