Escaped emu 'arrested' after causing rush-hour chaos in Devon
Devon and Cornwall Police
An escaped emu caused chaos as it ran up and down a residential street in Barnstaple, Devon, during rush-hour on Wednesday morning.
It was reportedly seen "running up and down the street, trying to get into people's houses'' before it was caught at around 8am.
Acting Sergeant Zoe Parnell and PCSO Stephen Huxtable from Devon and Cornwall police found the 4ft tall emu in Riddell Avenue, near Pilton Park.
Sergeant Parnell said she "thought it was a bit of a wind-up" when she first got the call about an emu on the loose from a member of the public.
According to the Daily Telegraph, she said: "But when I arrived at the scene to check it out, I could see this bird in the street. It was trying to get into people's houses. Obviously it was finding that difficult, and would try the next one.
"I must admit that while I'm not normally scared of birds, I was a bit nervous with this one.''
Although the flightless fugitive was in a state of panic, they managed to coax it into the rear of the police car.
According to the Mirror, she added: "It's a bit of a state in the back of the car now - there's mud, feathers and a few other things...
"This (catching a wild bird) is not the sort of thing we get taught during training, so I was a little unsure of how best to deal with this.
"I've been in the police force for seven years now, and I must say this is one of the most bizarre incidents I have ever been called to.
"I'd only been back in the office for a few minutes and already a few of my colleagues started cracking jokes about me 'feeling peckish'."
The emu is now in the care of Diana Lewis, who runs an "animal ambulance" service in north Devon, and will later be reunited with its owner, according to police.
Related articles
Runaway circus animal cause travel chaos in LA
Video: Elephant escapes circus and runs through streets of Ireland
Sign up to our weekly newsletterFollow us on TwitterBecome a fan on Facebook
