Woman dies after being pecked by a rooster
Australians have been warned of the dangers of varicose veins after a woman died from a rooster pecking.
The elderly woman, who was not identified, died after being attacked by an “aggressive rooster” while collecting eggs from a chicken coop on her rural South Australian property.
The rooster pecked the woman’s lower left leg, puncturing her varicose veins and leading the wound to bleed out.
Roger Byard, professor of pathology at the University of Adelaide who studied the woman’s death, said the case highlighted how “vulnerable” elderly people who have varicose veins are.
Varicose veins are enlarged, twisted veins which bulge on the skin surface. They commonly appear in the legs and feet.
“I’ve had a number of cases where people have just been wandering around in their home and just run into furniture which has caused a small injury,” Byard told the ABC.
“They haven’t known what to do and have died from it.”
Byard said while rooster attacks were rare, he said the woman’s case showed that small domestic animals can be dangerous. “There have been a couple of cases overseas where children have been pecked by roosters because they have thin skulls and the rooster has actually caused brain damage,” he said.
“Older people are also not as good at defending themselves against animal attacks, their balance might not be as good.”
The case – which was recently published in the journal of Forensic Science, Medicine and Pathology – focused on ways to identify wounds from small animals during an autopsy.
Byard said damage to varicose veins can be treated immediately to prevent deaths. “If you knock them, put pressure on the wound, elevate and call for help,” he told 10 daily. “Don’t panic.”