A 75-year-old Florida man died in 2019 after being attacked by a cassowary—one of the birds he kept as pets—in what police described as a "tragic" accident. Marvin Hajos lived in Alachua, a city in northern Florida, and had reportedly kept exotic animals for many years.
Among his collection were cassowaries, flightless birds resembling emus and widely regarded as the most dangerous of their kind. Armed with dagger-like claws measuring five inches in length, cassowaries can weigh more than 100 lb (45 kg) and reach speeds of up to 30 mph, making encounters potentially deadly.
Lifelong passion for birds
According to friend Jim Glynn, Hajos developed a deep affection for birds during his childhood while working at the Bronx Zoo. Some 65 years later, he held a permit to care for cassowaries and was fiercely dedicated to preserving the species.
Hajos kept two breeding couples of cassowaries at his home. On a Friday in 2019, one of the females was guarding her eggs from the males, which are known to attempt to destroy them, particularly as they grow increasingly aggressive during breeding season. Hajos tried to retrieve the eggs and store them safely in an incubator when one of the birds launched a sudden attack.
Fatal attack and aftermath
Lieutenant Brett Rhodenizer, from the County Sheriff Department, said of the attack: "We believe he went in there to recover that egg and then at some point the bird was able to make its attack," as Hajos fell to the floor in a vulnerable position. Hajos then called out for his daughter's assistance, but there was little she could do.
Hajos was rushed to hospital, where he tragically died from his injuries. His partner informed police that the family's heartbreak occurred while Hajos was "doing what he loved." Glynn told Fox35 that Hajos was widely recognised for his passion for cassowaries and was a prominent figure in the field, frequently invited to lecture at universities about the species.
Following the attack, the cassowary responsible remained on the property for a time before the family announced they had no intention of keeping the birds there—a decision that proved deeply difficult, as they "knew how much [Hajos] loved his birds."
Rare fatalities
Despite being regarded as the world's deadliest bird due to a combination of lethal attributes—including razor-sharp claws, powerful kicks and remarkable speed—Hajos was only the second person in recorded history to have been killed by one. The sole previous fatality occurred almost a century earlier, when in 1926 an Australian teenager lost his life after he and his companions struck a cassowary with a club.
