You are right to be scared of cassowaries, but there's a softer side to this terrifying bird | Raelee Lancaster

There are many reasons why we should really just leave these shy, possibly anxious, introverts aloneo Vote here in the Guardian/BirdLife Australia 2019 bird of the year pollRumour has it that everything in so-called Australia can kill you. Cassowaries don't do much to dispel those rumours. Not only do they look terrifyingly similar to the velociraptors in the Jurassic Park franchise with their three-pronged claws, but the bulging, fleshy casque that sits above their beak makes them seem even more intimidating. This hellish reputation is not helped by the news, which situates cassowaries as beastly killers, and the softer side of this large bird is, unjustifiably, ignored.Australians measure the worth of an animal by its relationship to humankind. Western thinkers see the ecosystem as a pyramid with man dominating the top position, whereas many non-western cultures see no separation or hierarchy, instead envisioning a spheric symbiosis where all creatures are one. Cassowaries rest in the rainforests of north-east Queensland, a place with a rich history and culture that is imbued within the cassowary, where the western ideals of hierarchy cannot exist. Continue reading...