Nov. 3 (UPI) — An Arizona police department shared video of the moment an emu named Frank was finally captured after two days on the loose in Cottonwood.
The Cottonwood Police Department said on social media that officers and animal control personnel were dispatched after several 911 calls reported an emu running loose through traffic last week.
“Our dispatch started getting calls there was an emu walking through the parking lot of our Walmart here in town and trying to attack people,” Officer Kellen Burnes told KPNX-TV.
Burnes said one caller had mistaken the Australian bird for a baby giraffe.
He said it took some time to chase down the speedy animal, which he later learned is named Frank.
“They can run about 30 miles an hour, and I guess he had on the afterburners that day,” Burnes said.
Burnes said the emu was finally caught thanks to its pursuers learning an unusual tidbit of animal trivia: emus can’t walk backward. The officers were able to corner the emu next to a fence and take it into custody.
“Frank is doing well. Now he’s back on his property,” Burnes said.