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Bird of prey (symbol image)
Photo: Soeren Stache / dpa
The city of Viersen has closed a park in the city center because of a possible bird that "approached passers-by at low altitude".
It is not certain that people can enter the casino garden without danger, the municipality said.
Based on cell phone photos of some passers-by, an expert suspects that it could be a young red-tailed buzzard.
The species is not native to the Lower Rhine but comes from North America.
The bird may have been raised by a human, which could also explain its behavior.
Presumably he hopes for food with walkers.
A spokesman said the animal attacked a man and his dog that morning.
Other passers-by had also reported an aggressive bird of prey with a wing span of about 1.50 meters.
Thereupon the park, in which there is also a playground, was closed as a precaution.
If you meet the bird, it is now important to keep calm and not to frighten the animal with blows in the air, said the lower nature conservation authority of the district: “Otherwise it could get scared and defend itself . «A falconer from the Raptor Relief wants to try to catch the animal in the coming days.
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bbr / dpa