Buzzard Attack on Runner in Gelderland: Self-Portrait of Bloody Head Goes Viral

A runner was attacked by a buzzard in Groenlo, Gelderland, for the second time in a short time. After the second attack, the runner, André Bleumink, posted a photo on Facebook showing his bloody head.

On the way from Groenlo to Lievelde, the place where he has been running for years, Bleumink suddenly felt a hard blow on the back of his head this week. “That was a big surprise,” he says Omroep Gelderland. “My heart rate at that time was higher than I get while running. It felt like a big bruise, so I kept running.”

After a running friend checked the back of his head, it turned out to be more than just a bruise. Reason for Bleumink to post a warning on Facebook.

Bumblebee attacks often involve breeding birds defending their nests. Usually this is a fake attack as a warning, but it often happens that birds of prey attack runners and cyclists. So cities and sometimes farmers put up warning signs.

For example, invasive kites were active on the Polderweg in Dronten for years. The city first warned about that bird in 2017. last year the buzzard was found dead by bird watcher Lykele Zwanenburg.

The animal may have been killed by a car. In this way he could quickly find out that the bird had become 17 years old. “A unique event,” Zwanenburg said. According to him, the average kite lives at least four years.

To prevent attacks, advised Renkum area last year to wear a cap and sunglasses back. “A kite prefers not to attack from the front, so you can trick it,” the city said at the time.

Bleumink has another tip to prevent attacks. “I heard that it would help to glue or sew eyes on the back of your cap. I also suggest that you take a different route for a time when you know that a buzzard is nesting somewhere. “