Dubliners - and in particular children - have been warned to stop hand-feeding a heron because it may end up stabbing them in the eye with its beak.
A "friendly young heron" that lives at the weir on the Lower Dodder Road in Rathfarnham has reportedly been getting too used to people, who lure it over to the riverbank wall with food so they can take selfies.
However, the large birds can mistake humans' eyes for fish - leading to warnings from concerned wildlife experts to urge people to leave the potentially "dangerous birds" alone.
A warning post on Dublin-based Facebook group Dodder Photography reads: "This is the lovely young heron that has take up residence around the weir on the Lower Dodder Road but has become too friendly and lands on the wall and is being hand fed by people.
"Children are getting very close for photos and selfies. On advice from our rescue agency, we would ask that if possible that you discourage him from landing on the wall and try make noise to chase him off.
"Herons are extremely dangerous birds as they think your eyes are fish (especially if you wear glasses) and very quickly will shoot their beak out and stab you in the eye, the way they would a fish, not to mention the size and strength of their wings.
"It would be terrible to see this bird having to be put to sleep due to no fault of his own SO PLEASE DISCOURAGE IT FROM THE WALL before it hurts someone or someone hurts it."
Members voiced their concerns under the post, with one rescue volunteer writing: "As a rescue volunteer, one of our main warnings about practice in rescuing herons is to protect our eyes as the heron will see movement and dart at your eyes, so you should always cover the herons head first.
"It is a true fact. One of our rescuers had very close call whne the towel came off the head and he pecked a centimeter from the eye - so lucky to not have had eye plucked out."
Another member added: "Wish people would just leave wildlife be."
