Vision of a rookie Australian policeman chasing an emu down a busy country road has gone viral, with authorities using the comical moment as a recruitment tool.
The large flightless bird – native to Australia – was reported to police by locals in the country town of Nashdale, 168 miles west of Sydney, after it was seen wandering onto a road, posing a potential danger to traffic and itself.
A young officer arrived and volunteered to give chase on foot but failed to catch his two-legged feathered target, despite speeding up at one point.
The video went viral across social media has attracted many comments on the “emu-sing” chase, with one viewer referencing a famed cartoon: “Look, it’s the road runner, but that’s not the coyote behind him.”
NSW state police posted the footage on Facebook, saying the officer arrived at the scene to find the bird creating a “serious traffic hazard.”
“Following a brief game of ‘catch me if you can’, the officer successfully moved the emu away from the roadway before it could ruffle any more feathers or cause a collision,” police wrote in the post.
“It’s not every day you find yourself conducting traffic management for an emu, but that’s policing,” adding that anyone looking for a career where “every day brings something new”, becoming a police officer in regional areas was a good option.
Chief Inspector David Abercrombie from the Central West Police District said the “keen, young” officer who gave chase was enjoying his short-lived fame as the footage had been viewed almost 90,000 times.
Emus have had a long, troubled history with the human population in Australia, seen as perpetual troublemakers and ne’er-do-wells. In 1932 the so-called “emu wars” began after thousands of emus began eating their way through parched crops. The Australian military was brought in to prosecute the operation but ultimately gave up. The emus won. (JOUAN/RIUS/Gamma-Rapho via Getty Images)
Abercrombie said he was glad it wasn’t him who had been called to the bizarre scene.
“If anyone asked me to chase an emu, it’d be more like watching a startled gazelle on Prozac,” he told national broadcaster ABC. “My speed would not be up to scratch.”
Emus are the second largest bird in the world after the ostrich and are known troublemakers in all parts of Australia.
As Breitbart News reported, in 2020 an isolated pub in the vastness of the great Australian outback banned a pair of local emus from the premises because of their propensity to commit “improper acts,” and an unwillingness to “use the facilities” in a responsible manner.
Gerry and Chris Gimblett, the business’ owners, said they had to ban the emus after the large birds learned to climb the front steps and invite themselves inside.
Once ensconced, they caused chaos and upset drinkers by knocking over furniture, fighting, spilling drinks and refusing to use the toilet facilities as provided.
In 1932 the Australian military was called in when rogue emus started eating their way through parched crops in the state of Western Australia.
That launched the so-called “emu wars” after a deputation of ex-soldiers requested the deployment of machine-guns to cull the emus, leading to Royal Australian Artillery soldiers armed with Lewis guns attempting to reduce emu numbers.
The Australian military eventually gave up and left the emus to their nefarious ways.
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