About 20 ostriches escaped their enclosure in Alberta, Canada, and attempted to escape the pursuing police.
Footage shot by a witness Thursday shows a police car approaching an ostrich scurrying down the road. A passenger in the vehicle then reaches out to grab the animal by the neck but is unable to restrain it. The ostrich briefly falls to the ground before starting to run away.
Animal websites recommend grabbing an ostrich by the neck to force it down and prevent it from pecking, according to the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation.
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The Taber Police Service said members of the police force and its regional community standards unit dealt with the ostriches and that traffic hazards were created by the birds as they exited the city. The Police Service assisted the Royal Canadian Mounted Police in confining the ostriches so that pet owners could safely capture them.
The escaped ostriches all belong to the same person.
Most of the ostriches were caught Thursday, but RCMP media relations officer Cpl. Troy Savinkoff told the CBC that efforts were still exhausted to protect the rest of them.
The RCMP often helps capture horses and cattle, but does not expect to respond to free-roaming ostriches.
“The ostrich is certainly something we are much less familiar with, and I can confirm that that particular investigator who received their first report did not expect to be chasing ostriches during that shift,” Savinkoff said.
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One of the pursued ostriches was hit by a car and died after escaping its enclosure.
Ostriches are the fastest bird in the world, capable of continuously traveling at speeds of 30 to 37 miles per hour and can run up to 43 miles per hour, according to the Smithsonian’s National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute.