Now magpies attack CATS in small town 'invaded' by 'vicious' birds

Now it’s magpie vs SQUIRREL: After being caught on camera in vicious bust-up with a rat, ‘bully’ birds have set their sights on other animals including cats, says British Airways stewardess

• ‘Vicious’ magpies which have invaded a city set their sights on attacking cats
• It comes after footage revealed they’re targeting squirrels and rats as well
• Locals are concerned for the safety of the wildlife amid the ‘vicious’ attacks

‘Vicious’ magpies which have invaded a city have set their sights on attacking cats and squirrels, according to a British Airways stewardess.

Footage of the bust-ups show birds cornering small creatures in the street and people’s back gardens before ‘attacking them to kill’.

Residents in Stoke-on-Trent are living in fear of magpies they’ve dubbed ‘Magbo’.

Locals say they are now worried for their pets welfare amid the growing bird infestation which is ‘terrorising the neighbourhood’ in the Hartshill area of the city.

Footage of a magpie attacking a squirrel has now emerged on the same street where the birds were captured in a battle with a rat earlier this week.

The video, captured by Alena Copeland, 34, shows a dramatic brawl between a small grey squirrel and a magpie unfolding in her back garden on Nelson Road.

British Airways cabin crew member Alena Copeland (pictured) said the consistent magpie attacks are an ‘alarming concern’ after her 19-year-old cat Christian was also targeted by the birds

 Footage of a magpie attacking a squirrel has now emerged on the same street where the birds were captured in a battle with a rat

The rodent was filmed clambering up a tree as he tried to avoid the magpie’s sharp beak before eventually making an escape by jumping over a wall onto a shed.

Earlier this week, another video emerged showing two large magpies ganging up on a small brown rat.

Ms Copeland said the consistent magpie attacks are an ‘alarming concern’ after her 19-year-old cat Christian was also targeted.

The British Airways cabin crew member said: ‘We’ve started having issues with magpies all the time. I work from home so I see all the fights going on.

‘I’m worried about my 19-year-old cat’s life. He’s very old and we have a kitten next door and I worry about the magpies attacking them. 

‘People think magpies are these spiritual creatures who bring good omens – but they don’t here, they are bullying the other creatures.

‘They come and go so quickly and hide in the tree, but they have attacked various forms of nature, whether it’s our cat, squirrels, or rats.

‘The squirrels are beautiful creatures and are very timid and it wasn’t nice to watch it get chased.’

Ms Copeland has lived in the area all her life and said the problem has gotten worse in the last couple of years.

Ms Copeland has lived in the area all her life and said the problem has gotten worse in the last couple of years

She said the magpies are causing havoc on the street and her garden feels like ‘living in an aviary’

She said the magpies are causing havoc on the street and her garden feels like ‘living in an aviary’.

She added: ‘They are terrorising the neighbourhood and it’s like there are dozens of alpha males.

‘They normally attack in their twos. It’s very intriguing to see them attack in this way. Maybe Covid has altered the way they behave. They are vicious and antagonise the other animals.

‘I think they are trying to kill the other creatures.’

Ms Copeland’s neighbour Sharon Dring, 65, filmed footage of two magpies swooping on a rat outside her home a few days ago.

Ms Copeland’s neighbour Sharon Dring, 65, filmed footage of two magpies swooping on a rat outside her home a few days ago 

She said: ‘I walked outside and saw a magpie and a rat fighting on the street. I couldn’t believe it.

Grandmother-of-two Sharon Dring, 65, who filmed the fight, said she ‘couldn’t believe’  what she was seeing in the middle of a residential area 

‘I have never seen a rat and magpies fighting. I questioned whether I was seeing things.

‘They were going at it for ages and not bothering about where they were. I couldn’t believe what I was seeing in the middle of a residential area.

‘They were pecking at him and then the rat was turning around and lunging at both of them.

‘The rat was determined to put up a fight for its life. If they kept pecking at it, they would have killed it but it was a very brave rat.’

Other residents took to social media to complain of the magpies with one concerned local writing: ‘Magbo was back in my garden last night. He was going for something but not sure what is was.

Another added: ‘The magpie problem has been getting worse for the past year… They seem to be everywhere now.’

Ms Dring said the birds were pecking at the rat who turned around to lunge at both of them. She added that the animals were ‘going at it for ages’ and ‘not bothering about where they were’ 

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