Claw blimey! Jogger’s head is slashed by bird of prey
WITH two horrific tram line gashes across the top of his head, this jogger looks like he’s been the victim of a savage knife mugging.
Andy Llewellyn’s injuries, however, are the result of a run-in with a bird of prey.
The 44-year- old was left shocked – and with blood pouring down his face – after the creature dug its talons into his scalp.
Experts initially thought it could have been a Harris hawk which had escaped from its falconer, but they now believe Mr Llewellyn was the victim of a wild buzzard.
Since the incident was reported in Derby, two other men have come forward to say they were attacked in the same area.
While buzzard attacks are rare, there have been a number reported in recent years. The birds are believed to only attack when protecting their young, if someone comes too close to a nest.
Mr Llewellyn said: ‘I was just doing my normal jog, minding my own business. All of a sudden I got this almighty whack on the back of my head. I had no idea what it was. I thought someone had hit me or thrown a stone. But then I heard the flapping of wings on my shoulder. It knocked me for six.’
He ran home as quickly as he could manage with blood pouring down his face. He had two large cuts running from his crown to his forehead. He went to a drop-in medical centre where the wounds were cleaned and he was given antibiotics. ‘The nurse said she’d never seen anything like it in all her years of A&E,’ he said.
Mr Llewellyn, a training manager at Boots who lives with his partner Zoe Burnett, 35, was attacked as he ran in Chellaston.
Perhaps unsurprisingly, he set a personal best for 5km after racing home afterwards. ‘It hasn’t put me off jogging but I think I’ll have to wear a hat or even a helmet next time,’ he said.
Mr Llewellyn, a father of four, did not see the bird which attacked him but also believes it could have been a buzzard. The birds can weigh up to 3lbs and the males can be seen performing aerial dis- plays to impress females and warn off rivals, rising rapidly and then dropping in a manoeuvre known as the ‘rollercoaster’.
After Mr Llewellyn was featured in his local paper, two more men came forward to say they too had been set upon. Council worker Jonathan Webster said he was targeted two weeks ago while Keith Hill said he had been attacked several times.
Mr Webster, 50, an estates surveyor, said: ‘I saw its talons coming at me and it just descended very quickly. It almost came ver- tically straight down at me.’ Mr Hill said he’d had a number of recent near-misses with the bird of prey while an attack in 2015 left him with a three-inch scar on his head.
He said: ‘It’s quite a large bird – with its wing span and its claws coming down, when it’s trying to attack you it’s quite terrifying.’
The incidents come after cyclist Aidan Williams told how he was a repeated victim of attacks by a buzzard in Staffordshire.
Nick Brown, from the Derbyshire Wildlife Trust, advised cyclists and runners to arm themselves with sticks to fend off the bird. He said: ‘This one has become super-bold and super-aggressive for some reason. The worst- case scenario is that it gets its talons in someone’s eyes. Wearing a hat is sensible, don’t listen to music, and carry a stick so you can wave it above your head if you see the bird.’ ÷Have
you been harassed by a bird of prey? Email birds@dailymail.co.uk