{"id":123851,"date":"2025-11-08T01:43:19","date_gmt":"2025-11-08T01:43:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/123851\/"},"modified":"2025-11-08T01:43:19","modified_gmt":"2025-11-08T01:43:19","slug":"pilot-makes-unusual-animal-discovery-flying-over-aussie-outback-no-idea-how-it-walked-out-there","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/123851\/","title":{"rendered":"Pilot makes ‘unusual’ animal discovery flying over Aussie outback: ‘No idea how it walked out there’"},"content":{"rendered":"

An \u201cunusual\u201d sight in outback Queensland has sparked a bizarre and concerning mystery. For roughly six weeks, locals living near the rural town of Mount Surprise have been abuzz after a handful of people reported seeing a \u201clarge black bird\u201d<\/a> roaming around the area.<\/p>\n

Despite the persistent chatter, Wil Kemp<\/a>, a wildlife documentarian who operates trains in Far North Queensland<\/a> along the Gulf Savannah, told Yahoo News Australia he initially believed the rumours were just that.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve heard so many of them in my time of working out there, [like] 30 foot taipans that have eaten calves,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

\u201cNo one in town took it very seriously either. Obviously the people that saw it swore black and blue, but everyone that they told at the pub just kind of nodded their head and went \u2018Yeah, right mate\u2019.\u201d<\/p>\n

However, that all changed on Saturday when bush helicopter pilot Sam Kennedy clapped eyes on the creature firsthand. Video footage shows a lone, albeit healthy-looking southern cassowary<\/a> running in the remote bushland \u2014 about 140km from its native habitat.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s pretty hard to refute that,\u201d Wil, who published the clip online, said. \u201cI watched it over and over\u2026 you can see the casque on its head, the light blue colouration down the neck, everything. It\u2019s pretty cassowary.\u201d<\/p>\n

Now the big question is, how did the cassowary get there?<\/p>\n

Concerns endangered cassowary was transported by humans<\/p>\n

Southern cassowaries are known to live in the dense, tropical rainforest between Paluma and Cooktown, as well as pockets of Cape York.<\/p>\n

Wil, who spent 10 years caring for the species in zoos, said he believes human intervention led to the animal being spotted so far from home. Cassowaries need to consume about 5kg of mixed fruit a day to survive, he noted.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe Gulf Savannah country, it can\u2019t produce that much food. There\u2019s a lot of grass out there, so I have no idea how it would have walked out there\u2026 or the period of time it would have taken for this animal to walk out there.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat is it that it\u2019s been eating along the way to keep it in good enough condition that it\u2019s got enough energy to try and outrun a helicopter? I can\u2019t help but think that somewhere along the lifespan of this cassowary, people have been involved.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Southern cassowaries are known to live in the dense, tropical rainforest between Paluma and Cooktown, as well as pockets of Cape York. Source: Queensland DETSI<\/p>\n

Wil said someone may have found the orphaned chick on the coast and drove it back out to their property, believing it\u2019s an emu.<\/p>\n

Sean Dooley with BirdLife Australia agreed, stating that while cassowaries have been known to trek through unsuitable habitats to reach patches of rainforest, it’s \u201chighly unlikely\u201d the bird travelled to the area by itself.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe alternative is that it has been caught and released, which in itself is not an easy task. Why someone would release it out there is a mystery,\u201d he told Yahoo. \u201cMaybe it was some idiot who thought it would be a lark to take one and then got rid of it when it became too difficult to handle?\u201d<\/p>\n

Fears cassowary will starve to death in bushland<\/p>\n

However it got there, Wil and Sean said the most important thing to understand is that without its native habitat, the lone cassowary will likely die if it doesn\u2019t make its way back.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe are concerned for its welfare,\u201d Sean said. \u201cCassowaries need the cover of rainforest where they will find the food they need, which is the fallen fruit on the rainforest floor. They are tough and resourceful birds, but it is hard to see a cassowary out in that habitat not starving to death in a few weeks.<\/p>\n

Speaking to Yahoo, a spokesperson for Queensland\u2019s Department of the Environment, Tourism, Science and Innovation confirmed there are \u201cno plans to relocate the cassowary\u201d.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe reported sighting of a cassowary near Mount Surprise is unusual and well outside the species\u2019 normal habitat,\u201d the department said in a statement.<\/p>\n

\u201cPeople in the Mount Surprise area are asked to report any further sightings of the cassowary so we can understand more about its movements. Reports can be made by calling 1300 130 372.\u201d<\/p>\n

Wil said he hopes authorities change their tune. \u201cIt\u2019s an endangered animal, and just to leave it out there where it doesn\u2019t belong, just seems wrong,\u201d he told Yahoo.<\/p>\n

\u201cMaybe they can locate a scat, see what it\u2019s eating. Maybe that\u2019ll tell us a lot. If it\u2019s full of bananas and peaches, well, then we know someone out there is feeding it<\/a>, or it\u2019s gotten away from a local property.\u201d<\/p>\n

Do you have a story tip? Email: newsroomau@yahoonews.com<\/a>.<\/p>\n

You can also follow us on Facebook<\/a>, Instagram<\/a>, TikTok<\/a>, Twitter<\/a> and YouTube<\/a>.<\/p>\n

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