A man and an escaped emu wrestled on a country road in Devon before the giant bird headbutted him and ran away. The emu is believed to have escaped its holding in Salcombe before being tackled to the ground.
Footage shows the scuffle
James Barker, 46, captured the duel as he drove down a country road on September 9. Footage showed the moment the man shouted: "Emu down, emu down." At the same time, an alpaca from inside the farm's gates watched as the scuffle played out.
After scuffling for at least 20 seconds, the bird then headbutts its captor, sending him flying onto the road before running back into the gated property it escaped from.
Driver says it was 'too funny' to film
James, who was laughing hysterically throughout the unusual event, said: "It's not something you see every day! I had to take video otherwise people wouldn't believe me. I saw the bird on the road, so I pulled up to let the guy get hold of it - but it was too funny not to try and film."
He added: "The alpaca stood in the gateway made the scene. It was evident the bird was not quite so keen to get back to his home! Nowadays with everything going on in the world, it's quite nice to see something that is a bit entertaining!"
Video goes viral
Ro Barker, James's wife, shared the video to social media, where it has received over two million views. One commenter said: "You can't make that up, this has made my day." Another added: "Only in Salcombe!"
The great emu escape is not the first time this year exotic animals have broken loose of their enclosures. Capybara Samba made a daring escape from Marwell Zoo, near Winchester. Samba and her sister Tango escaped from the zoo in March. Tango was found nearby, but Samba had been spotted sunbathing on the bank of the River Itchen and, several miles away, sitting serenely in front of Owslebury's Shipp Inn on quiz night.
