Video: Escaped emu causes havoc on Israeli coastal city roads

The emu is believed to have escaped from an unregistered farm nearby

The bird was clocked running at 25 mph

Those out for a leisurely drive in the Israeli coastal town of Herzliya got a shock on Sunday afternoon when an escaped emu was seen running down one of the city’s main roads.

The bird was captured on film by motorists as he ran alongside cars near one of the city’s shopping centres.

According to motorists, the bird was travelling at nearly 25mph and moving erratically in front of cars.

Iliya Zelser who filmed the bird in full flight, said that it was a “really absurd situation” and that he expected a “coyote to appear chasing the bird at any moment.”

Employees from the City’s Veterinarian Department arrived moments later.

After a number of unsuccessful goes at capturing the bird, the two City Hall employees were able to restrain the emu and take it into a vehicle for it to be transported to a holding pen until its owner was found.

Emus are large flightless birds, similar to ostriches, and are known for their ability to run fast.

They are exclusively found in Australia and it is believed that the runaway emu had escaped from an unregistered farm nearby.

Dorit Basman, the spokeswoman for the town of Herzliya, says authorities confirmed that they had caught the emu and that the Nature and Parks authority had safely returned it to its owner.