In 1926, 16-year-old Phillip McClean was with his younger brother when they came across a cassowary, considered one of the most dangerous birds in the world. The brothers tried to scare off and hit the animal with sticks, but it reacted by attacking them with its powerful legs and sharp claws.
The younger brother managed to escape, but Phillip fell to the ground and received a kick to the neck that caused a fatal 1,25 cm wound to the jugular vein.
Experts point out that cassowaries usually avoid contact with humans and only attack when they feel threatened. Phillip McClean’s case was recorded as the first documented death caused by this species, while the second was a 75-year-old man from Florida, in 2019.