‘Terrifying’: Vulture attacks woman during falconry show in Lot, France
The bird swooped on the victim, leaving her with leg injuries
The victim says she has suffered nightmares about the bird attack
Franck Chambrier/Shutterstock
A woman spectator was left with leg injuries after being swooped on and attacked by a vulture during a falconry show in the south of France.
The incident happened while the 46-year-old was attending a bird show at the Parc des Aigles near Rocamadour with a friend.
The vulture swooped into the crowd and began attacking her on the leg with its beak for no apparent reason. A handler had to pull it away to make it stop.
The woman says she is unable to sleep following the attack on Saturday August 3.
“I've been having nightmares for four days now, seeing the vulture and its round beak attacking me,” she said.
Park staff gave the woman first aid but did not apologise for the incident, the victim who had travelled to the park from Chartres (Eure-et-Loir), told local media La Dépêche (paywall article).
She later visited a nearby pharmacy for further treatment, which allegedly told her a similar attack had happened the week before.
Following her pharmacy visit, she was taken to the emergency unit at the nearby Saint-Céré hospital.
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Contacted by the media, the park’s authorities said that incidents of this kind “were very rare.”
“The young animal keeper did not follow the safety instructions and had a moment's inattention,” it added. They also said they wished the victim had contacted them about the incident.
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