An owl attacked a Halifax girl claws-first on Thursday whereas she was operating alongside an area path, in accordance with CTV Information. Hannah Baillie reported that she noticed the owl earlier in her night run–even sharing a photograph of it–and moments later, felt it pouncing behind her head.
ICYMI: ‘It felt like somebody had actually lengthy nails’: Owl assaults Halifax runner on path https://t.co/if5EN3mLBN
— CTV Atlantic (@CTVAtlantic) December 13, 2024
At first, the owl hit her flippantly; Baillie continued operating, however the feathered creature went in for a second, extra aggressive assault.
“It felt like somebody had actually lengthy nails they usually had been grabbing the again of your head,” the 24-year-old stated. “Like they had been form of scraping their nails down your scalp, after which pulling in your ponytail on the similar time.” Different individuals on the Chain of Lakes Path helped Baillie scare off the owl, and he or she reviews that she sustained no accidents from the assault.
Baillie, an avid runner and a former member of the Halifax’s Mount Saint Vincent College cross-country crew, is a current graduate of Dalhousie’s Grasp of Public Administration program.
Barred owls are probably the most generally encountered owls in Nova Scotia. It’s unknown whether or not on this specific ambush, the fowl was being territorial or regarded Baillie’s ponytail as prey. Native wildlife consultants say assaults like these are uncommon, however joggers ought to take warning at daybreak and nightfall, when the owls are most energetic.
This incident will not be the primary time in current months that runners have confronted unprovoked assaults from animals. In September, a Malaysian girl was surrounded and attacked by a gang of eight hungry otters, leaving her with a number of wounds on her arms, legs and head. Extra steadily, runners discover themselves in scary, life-threatening conditions with bears throughout their runs.