Aggressive Rhea bird being hunted by armed police in Nottinghamshire

Updated
Rhea Bird on the Loose
Rhea Bird on the Loose
Agressive Rhea bird being hunted by armed police in Nottinghamshire
Agressive Rhea bird being hunted by armed police in Nottinghamshire


An aggressive ostrich-like bird is being hunted by local police in north Nottinghamshire after it disappeared from its enclosure.

People living in Nottinghamshire have been warned to steer clear of the 6ft male Rhea and to call 999 immediately with any sightings.

Rhea birds are native to South America and are related to the similar looking ostrich and emu birds.

The bird went missing from the farm on the outskirts of Carlton and police say that there have been no confirmed sightings of the animal.

Alex Macdonald, the bird's owner, said: "People take it lightly because they think it's just a bird. But they don't understand that until you get in a field with one of them or you have to wrestle one - they've got claws, they'll kick and their legs are powerful. They can run quite fast too, around 30 miles per hour."

The owner said that despite police officers hunting for the bird he thinks it must have been stolen because no one has reported it.

A gate was left open and CCTV is currently being checked for any sightings of the bird, but there are so many cameras it will take days before all the footage has been analysed.

Although the missing Rhea was a male, he was sitting on eggs at the time of his disappearance. Mr Macdonald thinks this means that the large bird won't have strayed too far from the field.

This footage shows the bird's female partner pacing the field that the couple usually share.

Mr Macdonald said: "They used to play a lot, running around fields and stuff but she's not really doing that at the minute. She's just calm and collected. I think she's just probably getting over the fact that she's on her own now."


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