Random News: Owl repeatedly attacks old man

AN old man in Hunan Province said an owl has taken a special liking to attacking his head.

When he leaves home, the owl often starts pecking his head, forcing the man to wear a special hat, Changsha Evening News reported today.

"The owl began attacking me in March, when I was working in an orange grove," the 79-year-old Yang Decai said.

"I don't remember how many times it has attacked me, but the day before yesterday, it pecked me 20 times," Yang said. "It doesn't hurt but it is really annoying."

Yang wears a hat with nails sticking out of a piece of wood to protect himself from the owl.

The owl sometimes cooperates with another owl – one hooting in a tree and the other swooping in to attack, the report said.

Yang's wife has also been attacked several times. Other family members have been left alone, the report said.

Yang said the owl may be seeking revenge because he removed a nest with two baby owls from his roof.

"They must be the baby owls' parents and want revenge," Yang said.

However, an expert from the forestry bureau in Huaihua City, Hunan, said the owl's strange behavior may be because it feels threatened or that Yang carries a special scent.

The expert suggested Yang ask local forestry officials to catch the owl or scare it away.

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