Photos; See What Happened To A Brave Man Who Squared Up To An Ostrich

 

An ostrich attacked a man and knocked him over backwards. Tienie Van Wyk was standing in front of the ostrich in North West Province, South Africa, when it flared its wings in anger. The engineer was mauled with series of pecks and kicks, before the bird was finally chased away by onlookers.

Mr Van Wyk, from Brakpan, who grew up on an ostrich farm, said: 'I landed on a thorn bush and was covered in scratches, but other than that, luckily I was fine. 'We were heading to an old borehole that I knew was nearby, when suddenly this ostrich approached us.

'From my experience with ostriches in the past, I could tell it was enraged by something so warned everyone to stay back.'
 

Mr Van Wyk explained that he had stayed face on to the bird as it would have been more dangerous to turn away.

He added: 'You're never meant to turn your back on or run from an ostrich, so slowly I tried to back away and then he just ran over me. 'Thankfully I immobilised the bird by grabbing its neck and legs, before it could do anymore damage. 'Needless to say, I felt very lucky to escape with only minor injuries.'