[News Today] No defense against crow attacks?

[LEAD]
Crows in city centers have become a source of fear. Cases are rising where large-billed crows swoop down and peck at people's heads. This appears to be behavior to guard their nests during breeding season, but finding effective countermeasures is not easy.

[REPORT]
A man is walking on a street while looking at his phone.

Suddenly a crow swoops in and attacks him.

Stunned, the man checks the back of his head where he was attacked but the bird comes at him again.

He flees but another crow appears and continues the aggression.

He eventually hides between cars.

At a nearby park, another case of a crow assaulting a man.

The man swings a tree branch in the air to fend it off but it continues to circle him.

Witness /
I heard people scream. A crow suddenly flew toward a passing person and went for the head.

In downtown areas these days, the crow has become an object of terror.

Yoo Sun-ja / Ulsan resident
I was being punched and looked up to find a crow. I tried to shield my head and it then pecked me again. It hurt a lot.

Those that come at people are the large-billed crows which settle and live in one location.

They become aggressive during breeding season to protect their nests.

Hong Seung-min / Bird watching group
Crows typically propagate in thick woods but humans increasingly encroach upon their territory.

It is illegal to capture crows without a permit.

These birds also don't change habitats often, and therefore there's no particular measure to address the harrowing situation.

Choi Jae-hwan / Dong-gu Dist. office
If we assess the bounds of the crow's aggressiveness and install a safety line around the parameter, this may reduce pedestrian access.

Keeping an umbrella handy in areas where crows frequent is said to be one way of having protection against such attacks.

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