Daily Mirror (Northern Ireland)
Pecks pest
Pheasant attacks postie Kevin daily
BEAK IT Bird squares up for fight as postman arrives
SCARY He tries to get out of way of angry pheasant
WHEN it comes to taking on posties, this is one game bird.
The fiery pheasant repeatedly attacks Kevin Keeler as he delivers a village’s mail, pecking his ankles and legs and knocking letters and parcels from his hands.
It is believed the 47-year-old postman’s distinctive red outfit and van enrages the creature.
Kevin, who wears tights in a bid to protect himself, has nicknamed the male bird “Mr Angry” over his daily acts of aggression, which have left him with cuts and bruises.
He said: “He’s a nuisance. He is always there waiting for me.
“He will circle around me and then he’ll make a run for my ankles.
“He dives at them and I have to hop out of the way. Now he has started flying up at me and trying to take a bite out of my legs. He won’t back off and he ends up chasing me until I can get in my van. Then he chases me down the road until I am gone. I think he is just being territorial. It makes my round scary. It can be very painful. He has made my leg bleed.
“I am often glad I am carrying my bag as it offers some protection.
“He knocked the letters out of my hand. They got absolutely soaked because it had been raining.”
The bird strikes when Kevin arrives for his round at Brooke, Norfolk. But he has been known to attack others in the village. Kevin, who lives in nearby Hempnall, added: “I have been a postman for 20 years and I have been bitten by three dogs, but this is the first time a pheasant has had a go at me. At least dogs are often shut in or behind a gate so you can make a decision about whether you approach them.
“But this pheasant just pops out of a hedge without warning. He’s even taken on a couple of dogs. “He chases cars. It is wonder that he has not been killed by the traffic. But he has no fear.”