Friday, 15 Nov 2024

Vicious magpie which caused baby’s death ‘had been reported 5 times before’

A baby died after an aggressive magpie swooped down on her mum who tripped trying to dodge it.

New rules to tackle dangerous birds have been introduced following the tragedy at an Australian park in early August.

Mia was just five months old when she fell from her mother's arms and suffered critical head injuries at Glindemann Park, Brisbane.

As a result of her death, Brisbane City Council has confirmed it will be quicker to remove aggressive birds from parks.

An investigation found five complaints had been made about a dangerous magpie before one flew at Mia's mum.

Mia's heartbroken parents Jacob and Simone released a statement soon after their loss, saying they were grateful for their "most precious little gift".

"Mia brought joy to everyone's lives with her infectious smile, her pure innocence, and her adorable laugh, she will be forever in all our hearts."

Public support flooded in for the family, raising more than $140,000 (£74,460) for the family, ABC reports.

Council officers have since captured the offending magpie and released it outside of the Brisbane area.

On Tuesday Brisbane Lord Mayor Adrian Schrinner announced that a review of the council's bird management policies had led to a more proactive response to dangerous birds.

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Cr Schrinner said: "What happened to baby Mia was a tragic accident that has been extremely traumatic for her family and affected so many people in our community."

He added that he knew Mia's parents were being comforted by family who had travelled across the country and community support is also available to them.

The magpie which has since been removed was the subject of five complaints that had been lodged without any action being taken, Cr Schrinner explained.

Now accredited wildlife officers will be hired to trap and remove dangerous animals from parks if there is any evidence of aggression toward humans.

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He added: "What the report makes clear is that council needs stronger procedures to ensure experts are called in earlier and these birds are relocated.

"Some people will believe swooping is just a natural response and these birds should be left alone. But in urban areas, like in parks and along footpaths, we have to always put people first.

"I believe that the signage needs to be improved, needs to be more highly visible, needs to be simplified to send a very clear message to the community that they're entering a location where there is a swooping bird."

More signs will be put up in parks warning of swooping birds.

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