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Reporter left with a scar after bird slams into her face on camera: 'Missed my eyeball, luckily'
Jessica Tyson was shooting a story on fast fashion when a seagull flew directly into her face, jolting her head to the side.
A reporter in New Zealand was struck in the face by a seagull while filming a news segment, and the moment was caught on camera and later shared on social media.
According to a report by People, the incident took place on December 2 in Auckland, when Jessica Tyson, a reporter and former Miss World New Zealand, was shooting a story on fast fashion. Just as she was preparing for a second take, the seagull flew directly into her face, jolting her head to the side.
In the video posted by Tyson, she is seen turning away and clutching her face as she exclaims, “Holy sh**”. Members of the film crew quickly rush to check on her. “You’re bleeding,” a colleague is heard saying, prompting Tyson to touch her face in disbelief.
Watch the video below:
Tyson was filming for Te Ao with Moana, a current affairs programme that analyses news through a Maori perspective. Momentarily shaken, she later appeared on screen with a visible cut above her left eye, with blood trailing down her cheek.
"Its beak or claws must have hit me because I was left with a scar above my left eye, below my eyebrow - just missing my eyeball, luckily,” Tyson wrote on Facebook. She added that the bird appeared uninjured and flew away before she rushed to a nearby office to clean up and continue filming.
(Also Read: Canadian reporter harassed by 9-year-old boy during live segment, calls out ‘normalised misogyny’)
Social media reactions
Social media users flooded the comments with concern and humour. “Omg Jess! You poor thing,” one user wrote, while another joked, “Not me thinking, ‘It’s a sign.’”
Tyson also revealed that she had recently injured herself several times, including cutting her finger and falling off her bicycle. “Soooo weird!” she wrote, adding that she performed a karakia, a Maori prayer, to prevent further mishaps.
Despite the scare, the reporter assured followers that she is fine. “All is well now,” Tyson said, adding that she finally understands “why people are so afraid of birds”.
