Tomas Ryan, 35, was attacked four times by the buzzard with the bird leaving him with cuts to his face, head and ear after it launched at him with its razor-sharp talons
A runner was left drenched in blood after being attacked by a buzzard that has terrorised joggers in a rural village. Tomas Ryan, 35, was left covered in blood and bruises after the bird dive-bombed and attacked him as he went for a run in Shawbury, in Shropshire, on Saturday.
He had been jogging through woodland near Poynton Road when the buzzard swooped down and attacked him four times at around 12pm. Dad-of-two Tomas said he was forced to run for up to another kilometre until the aggressive bird eventually gave up the chase. He was left with blood pouring down his face with cuts to his head and ear as a result of the bird’s razor-sharp talons.
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Former squaddie Tomas said it had also attacked other runners and is warning fellow villagers and visitors to steer clear of the woodland area.
Tomas, of Shawbury, who works for an aerospace company, said: “I had stopped to stretch by a gate when I just felt this pain in the back of my head.
“I thought it was a pigeon at first – and then it came again from the side. When I looked up I saw it was a buzzard. I noticed it up in the trees so I was able to defend myself the third time.
“Then the fourth time I just took my t-shirt off and began waving it madly around my head.
“The buzzard swooped at me four times, striking my head several times and hard enough to cut my head and ear open. It turns out I had experienced an extremely rare wildlife incident and I just want other to be aware.
“I’ve got friends who have been running down there and they’ve been chased too. It was a buzzard, 100 per cent.
“I have since seen on social media that another woman said her partner was attacked so its clearly an aggressive bird.
“I had to run another half a kilometre to a kilometre before it eventually left me alone.” Tomas had to go to hospital to get a tetanus jab as well as requiring first aid to clean up his wounds.
He added: “I’ve since learned that injuries from buzzard attacks are virtually unheard of in the UK. Most experts describe them as timid birds that avoid humans. This bird, however, was persistently aggressive, suggesting it may have been protecting a nearby nest hidden in the trees.
“It was pretty relentless, it wouldn’t stop. The attack was severe enough that I needed first aid, and I’m now keen to raise awareness so others in the area can stay alert.
“If that happened to an elderly person or a child it could have been different.”