Brent Matsuda said he’d seen signs at Squint Lake Park warning of an aggressive owl in the area, but he “didn’t think it would be a big concern” until his toddler was attacked Saturday afternoon.

We’ve all by now probably seen the leopard party meme. If not:

Barred Owls are one of the more territorial owls, and news of their aggression towards humans are not uncommon around breeding season (December to March) as owls protect their home territory.

In the full article the dad, who is said to be a biologist, ignored the signs warning of the Barred Owls, and let his toddler run loose. The child was cut by the owl’s talons, almost cutting his eye, and now the father is calling for the park to have the owl put down.

I know dramatic action is sometimes taken when a dog attacks someone, but dogs are domestic animals. I’m not sure punishing a wild animal for doing what is its nature is correct.

I try to avoid non-positive things here, but in looking up owl articles and such to share, there are many articles about barred owls and pedestrians getting into altercations. I’m curious as to what your opinions are in this. We’re probably all pro-owl here, but do you feel there’s a point where an owl can be problematic enough that some sort of action should be taken, and what should that action be?

  • anon6789OP
    4•1 year ago

    Article from same local news from July warning of owl

    This article was also reported on a number of websites that I see, so word was getting around.

    The Owl

    One of the signs

    r/Burnaby thread with people talking about getting swooped by the owl

    OP

    SO, one morning last winter while cycing to work I saw a shadow, and right before that i felt something hit my bicycle helmet ( thought some dry twigs had hit me). moments later i see the shadow again. This time I see its form. Looked winged and very large, and so I looked up. Owl in the tree. weird. but very cool. Did it think i was prey, was it attacking me? this is the first time something like that happened. fast forward to last week. Cycling to work again. swoops right in front of me. scared the hell out of me. Owl. Same spot. Now today i look into it to see if anyone had any stories of it, and i see a Burnaby now news article about that owl. Makes me wonder. How many of you have had a run in witht he Squint lake Owl?

    Another person

    I got attacked by one on Burnaby Mountain last year. On my way back on the trails, I spotted it in its nest along the trail. They can get pretty protective and can seriously hurt you with their claws, especially if you have long hair, so it’s good to watch out.

    Yet another person

    My brother has been attacked by that owl twice now. It even stole his toque last winter 🤣.

    The owl is closer to becoming an urban legend, so I feel this guy should have been aware. The Reddit thread even says the area it’s found and what time it tends to get swoopy.

    I haven’t found anyone else upset about it though, even the guy that got swooped 2 weeks in a row.