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Reports: Police Officer Fights Off Bird

Posted on: Friday, 20 August 2004, 06:00 CDT

OSLO, Norway - It was one of the toughest fights Jorun Lyngstad had experienced during her time as a Norwegian police officer. A wood grouse, Europe's biggest game bird, attacked Lyngstad during a Wednesday bike ride in the woods, ramming the off-duty officer from the side and sending her flying through the air, local media reported.

"I suspect this violent perpetrator has, to put it mildly, a strained relationship with the law," Lyngstad, 37, told the newspaper Romsdals Budstikke.

With her foot stuck in one of the pedals, Lyngstad had to use her bike as a shield as she tried to fight off the aggressive bird, which kept coming at her.

"It wouldn't give up," Lyngstad said. "It was a harder fight than I usually see when I'm on duty."

Lyngstad was finally able to pin the aggressor's head underneath the bike's front wheel, after which the bird fled back into the woods. Lyngstad suffered only minor scratches and a big bruise in her side where the wood grouse rammed her.

"If I had needed to strike it again, I would have struck to kill," she said.

A wood grouse, also known as capercaillie, can be up to three feet tall, and weigh up to nine pounds.

Lyngstad, who was wearing a bright yellow vest during the bike ride, said she had no idea what caused the bird to attack.

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