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Courting Ostriches Leave Prison Inmate Battered and Bruised

A convict in the Ivanovo region has been discharged from the hospital after being injured by two ostriches at a prison farm, a prison official said.

The 54-year-old woman was attacked while trying to feed the ostriches, which were in the middle of courtship rituals, RIA Novosti reported.

She made a sudden movement in the ostriches' cage and one of sparring birds kicked the gate of the enclosure at her, causing bruises and abrasions, the official said.

The woman, who was serving a sentence for attempted murder with aggravated circumstances, had been responsible for feeding the African birds for 1 ½ years.

The prison farm, about 400 kilometers northeast of Moscow, has three ostriches and hundreds of other farm animals including cattle and horses.

Regional prosecutors are checking whether prisoner safety rules were broken in the events leading to the incident.

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