Cassowary Crossing

A "cassowary crossing" road sign

Have you ever heard of a cassowary? We hadn't either. Apparently it is the most dangerous bird in the world, so of course they live in the Daintree.

Farmer & Napoleon Dynamite:
Napoleon Dynamite: Do the chickens have large talons?
Farmer: Do they have what?
Napoleon Dynamite: Large talons.
Farmer: I don't understand a word you just said.

Chickens may not have large talons, but cassowaries certainly do. That is what they use to kill you - they can swipe their talon across your jugular (for example) and you're gone in no time. They are about five feet tall and look kind of like an ostrich with a turkey head.

We found out that there are only about 1,000 remaining in the wild and that they are pretty elusive and rare to see. Some locals have never seen one. So imagine our surprise when on our way to the airport we saw one eating on the side of the road. Sara was scared to even open the window, but did to snap the picture below. Pardon the blurriness but she was in a hurry!

-David

The cassowary we spotted in the Daintree rainforest