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A hapless tourist nearly had his goose cooked when he waded too close to a pair of angry birds on a stream in southern China.

Stunned Lu Chen feared he would drown when the geese viciously attacked him for coming within a few feet of their river nest.

Still clutching his mobile in his left hand, Lu thrashed about in the water as he tried to escape the territorial birds in Gaowen Village in China's Guizhou province.

Ouch! A pair of geese take a bite out of Lu Chen's leg as locals watch the attack from the riverbank

Outnumbered: Lu Chen feared he would drown in the river in Gaowen Village in China's Guizhou province

Unfazed locals, who are used to the birds' aggressive behaviour, pulled the struggling tourist to safety

Mr Chen had been paddling in the stream to cool down when he was attacked. Pictures snapped by a photographer on the riverbank show the birds biting his right leg as he struggled to keep his head above water.

He said: 'I didn't know what was happening at first. There was a tremendous hissing and then they came straight at me. 

'I tried to scare them off, but they just kept coming. They managed to knock me down in the river and I am sure they were trying to drown me. I just couldn't get them away.

'They were pecking my legs, my hands, anything they could get their bills on. They're big, powerful birds and it hurt. I really began to panic.'

Angry birds: Lu Chen was attacked by two geese when he strayed too close to their river nest

Attack of the birds: Lu Chen said the geese pecked at his legs and hands as he tried to get away

Unfazed locals had a laugh and pulled the struggling tourist to safety.

One local said: 'They won't allow anyone to walk in their stream. They are very territorial. This is where they raise their chicks, where they feed, and they do not tolerate intruders of any kind in their home.

'Anyone who lives here knows that and we never let our children play there.

'We should put up a sign to warn off tourists, but it's quite fun to watch.'

Please don't hurt me: Lu Chen was trying to cool down on a hot summer day when the violent attack began