Brent Matsuda said he’d seen signs at Squint Lake Park warning of an aggressive owl in the area, but he “didn’t think it would be a big concern” until his toddler was attacked Saturday afternoon.
We’ve all by now probably seen the leopard party meme. If not:
Barred Owls are one of the more territorial owls, and news of their aggression towards humans are not uncommon around breeding season (December to March) as owls protect their home territory.
In the full article the dad, who is said to be a biologist, ignored the signs warning of the Barred Owls, and let his toddler run loose. The child was cut by the owl’s talons, almost cutting his eye, and now the father is calling for the park to have the owl put down.
I know dramatic action is sometimes taken when a dog attacks someone, but dogs are domestic animals. I’m not sure punishing a wild animal for doing what is its nature is correct.
I try to avoid non-positive things here, but in looking up owl articles and such to share, there are many articles about barred owls and pedestrians getting into altercations. I’m curious as to what your opinions are in this. We’re probably all pro-owl here, but do you feel there’s a point where an owl can be problematic enough that some sort of action should be taken, and what should that action be?
In this instance I am definitely pro owl. The humans ignored very clearly posted warnings about a territorial animal in the area and are shocked that the animal behaved aggressively. In this case, the owl was defending its territory and not going out if it’s was to target anyone.
As for a case of an animal being problematic enough for action, I am going to refer to our local menace Otter 841. Otter 841 is behaving very uncharacteristically for an otter. Instead of giving humans wide breadth, she actively swims up to surfers and climbs aboard. The issue here is that she is seeking out humans and engaging with them, which is dangerous for both the surfers and the otters. I guess the line for needing to take action is when an animal is both aggressive and actively seeking out humans. If the wild animals are only aggressive in situations where humans antagonize them, like violating their territory or cornering them, then the wild animals shouldn’t be put down. In the case of Otter 841, I like that their approach is to attempt to capture the otter and relocate her to a rehabilitation facility with no possibility of parole. I know it’s not always realistic to do so, but I don’t like defaulting to putting down wild animals. I agree though that aggressive domestic animals like dogs are a completely different situation.
That is funny, thank you for this!
I agree we should not punish an animal for natural behavior. If it was going out of its way or was stalking a more active place like a parking lot, action may need to be taken, but in the forest I feel is his territory.
Idk if owls can get rabies or something that may cause excess aggression and significant risk to anyone it attacks, that’s really the only circumstance I can think of where I would approve of exterminating an owl. This park is this critters home, this dumbass put his child at risk and doesn’t want to take the blame for ignoring clear signs. Also, the man is a biologist?? And he’s this dumb about animals? Must be a microbiologist or something lol
Rabies can only affect mammals, so owls and other birds are not a vector for that.
The most common thing a bird can give a human is salmonella. If you get scratched by a claw that has been in bird droppings, you could get that.
Other possibilities include influenza, West Nile Virus, and other bacterial infections, and worms.
If you did happen to get cut by any animal, I would think you would put something antibacterial on it.
I don’t want to risk doxxing the guy or anything, he’s obviously upset his kid got hurt, but he has been an ecologist and biologist for a very long time and lists himself as having experience with raptors. I think he’s just upset he let his guard down and isnt ready to accept responsibility yet.
Yes! I was so shocked when I read they were a biologist. Maybe they’re a “Marine Biologist” like George Costanza - only in their head lol
Good to see you stopping in again!
He does look to be someone that should know better. I’m giving him benefit of the doubt that he does know that, he’s just upset his kid got hurt. I don’t blame him for that, but I hope he relaxes his effort to get the owl put down. I think they should just call it even for ignoring the sign and to pay more mind in the future.
Anyone who knowingly enters a wild animals territory should know the risks, doubly so when warnings are clearly posted.
What happened is awful, but the father was absolutely negligent in his actions, and is jumping to an extreme response. Bird did what bird is going to do. We’re invading his territory, as far as he’s concerned.
What he ordered:
What he got:
I agree, and I feel this situation is not ideal for the owl either as it has to be burning lots of energy and getting stressed out defending this spot so much. Hopefully next year it’s going to look for another home so everyone can be happy.
Dad definitely seems like he should have known to exercise more caution.
Article from same local news from July warning of owl
This article was also reported on a number of websites that I see, so word was getting around.
The Owl
One of the signs
r/Burnaby thread with people talking about getting swooped by the owl
OP
SO, one morning last winter while cycing to work I saw a shadow, and right before that i felt something hit my bicycle helmet ( thought some dry twigs had hit me). moments later i see the shadow again. This time I see its form. Looked winged and very large, and so I looked up. Owl in the tree. weird. but very cool. Did it think i was prey, was it attacking me? this is the first time something like that happened. fast forward to last week. Cycling to work again. swoops right in front of me. scared the hell out of me. Owl. Same spot. Now today i look into it to see if anyone had any stories of it, and i see a Burnaby now news article about that owl. Makes me wonder. How many of you have had a run in witht he Squint lake Owl?
Another person
I got attacked by one on Burnaby Mountain last year. On my way back on the trails, I spotted it in its nest along the trail. They can get pretty protective and can seriously hurt you with their claws, especially if you have long hair, so it’s good to watch out.
Yet another person
My brother has been attacked by that owl twice now. It even stole his toque last winter 🤣.
The owl is closer to becoming an urban legend, so I feel this guy should have been aware. The Reddit thread even says the area it’s found and what time it tends to get swoopy.
I haven’t found anyone else upset about it though, even the guy that got swooped 2 weeks in a row.
