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Man attacked by owl has a wearable warning for joggers in Salem park


Photo tweeted to Maddow by Statesman Journal reporter Alisha Roemeling.
Photo tweeted to Maddow by Statesman Journal reporter Alisha Roemeling.
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SALEM, Ore. -- A victim of an owl attack in a Salem city park is sending a warning about those "angry" birds to other joggers. That warning is inspired by a national cable television host.


"I'm deep in thought, and all of a sudden I get struck in the back of my head with what they later tell me is up to 30 pounds of force," said Dr. Ron Jaecks.


He said an owl swooped down on him while he was taking an early-morning run on January 19, 2015 through Bush's Pasture Park. He remembers it like it was yesterday.


"The talons digging into my scalp, and then like a vortex rush of the hat being lifted off my head," he described.


Jaecks's owl attack story is almost unbelievable except for the fact that three other people have reported similar encounters with owls in the same park.


"I felt like I had either been assaulted or hit by lightning even," he said.


Rachel Maddow, who hosts The Rachel Maddow Show on MSNBC, took notice of Jaecks's story.


"Last week on the show we told you about a series of owl attacks. Owl attacks on joggers in Oregon," she said on the February 9, 2015 episode of her show.


Her team thought the warning sign the city posted in the park wasn't scary enough. They created a bright yellow sign that shows an owl swooping down onto a stick-figure-looking person.


One of Jaecks's friends saw the show, and had a t-shirt made for him with the sign from The Rachel Maddow Show screened on the front.Then someone else sent Maddow a picture on twitter of Jaecks wearing the shirt.


"Look! That's him on the right wearing a shirt with our attack owl warning sign printed on the front of it," she said, "Dr. Jaecks will warn the people!"


Anyone can print one of the signs on The Rachel Maddow Show website. They're also holding a "challenge" for viewers around the country to create, and submit, their own owl warning signs.



.Hey @maddow the first man attacked by an owl had shirts made for him and the owl expert of your signs! #salemorpic.twitter.com/JtgOXNL5Xx


Alisha Roemeling (@alisharoemeling) February 8, 2015
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