Every once in a while, an animal crosses my path while riding. Usually, the creature is a cat or dog who darts away when I get within a few feet. When I've ridden in Florida, little green lizards played "chicken" with me as I rode along the paths and sidewalks. In Cambodia, macaques sat guard on the side of the road as I pedaled between the temples of Siem Reap. And in Laos, an elephant stopped and stared at me and the couple with whom I rode in and around Luang Pr'bang.
Only once did I have a too-close encounter with an animal: On the return leg of a ride to Point Lookout, a cat (black, no less!) charged into my path and glanced off my front wheel--something I've never experienced before or since. I tumbled into the rear of a parked car and ended up with bruises and a couple of days' worth of pain, but no serious injury.
At least I was more fortunate than a woman in Argentina. As she pedaled into a Buenos Aires intersection, an ostrich--yes, you read that right--charged into her.
Now, since I have never encountered an ostrich that wasn't caged, I had no idea that they could run so fast: They can attain speeds of 70KPH (44MPH). One thing I know is that an ostrich is bigger than, say, a sparrow. So the force of that earthbound avian's impact knocked that woman, I am sure, harder than the cat who ran into my front wheel in Ozone Park.
So, perhaps not surprisingly, she got hurt worse than I did: The bird, after hobbling, toppling over and continuing on its way, left the woman with a broken wrist and a large cut on her head.
Argentine authorities haven't said what charges, if any will be leveled against the bird. For one thing, the Argentine speed limit is 40KPH (25MPH) in residential areas and 60KPH (37MPH) in urban areas. A review of videos could reveal whether the ostrich--which seems to have escaped from someone's home--was doing its "personal best." Oh, and I have to wonder what Argentinian law says about leaving the scene of an accident.
