Mysterious accident at Tierpark Berlin! At the popular birds of prey air show in the “Kiekemal-Waldbühne” a woman was injured in the head by the African spotted owl Frodo (5).
The show of the feathered hunters takes place daily at around 1 p.m. and lasts around 30 minutes. The audience sits on a tiered stand and watches.
Although small, the owl Frodo has a pointed hooked beak and razor-sharp claws. Also on Easter Sunday, the bird of prey showed its flying skills over the heads of the audience.
Did the woman fall into Frodo’s flight path, or did the bird fly so low that it grazed and injured her with its beak or claws?
Tierpark spokeswoman Philine Hachmeister: “From the point of view of the animal keepers, the show went off without any particular incidents. Only then did the woman report, saying that the spotted owl had injured her head.”
Tierpark employees provided first aid and disinfected the wound between the hair on the head. Then the woman drove to a clinic, presumably for a tetanus vaccination.
“This is the first occurrence of this species,” said the spokeswoman. “In the future we will keep a special eye on the animals when they fly towards the audience.”
