About 20 ostriches escaped from their enclosure in Alberta, Canada, and tried to outrun police who were attempting to capture them on Thursday.
A video filmed by a witness and shared by ABC News shows a police car driving up to an ostrich running down the street and a passenger in the vehicle attempting to grab it by its neck but missing. The ostrich falls to the ground and starts walking away, with the car continuing to pursue it.
The Taber Police Service said in a Facebook post that members of the police force and its regional community standards unit dealt with the ostriches, which created traffic hazards on their way out of town. The police service helped the Royal Canadian Mounted Police confine the birds so their owners could safely reclaim them.
The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC) reported that animal websites recommend grabbing an ostrich by its neck to stop it from pecking and to force it down. One person owns all the ostriches, according to the CBC.
Local officials said Thursday that most of the ostriches had been captured but that some remained on the loose and needed to be recaptured.
Ostriches are the fastest running bird in the world, capable of traveling continuously at speeds of 30 to 37 miles per hour. They can sprint up to 43 miles per hour, according to the Smithsonian’s National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute.
Ostriches run as their first line of defense when they feel threatened.