6ft ostrich-like bird at large in Devon has locals in a flap after menacing kids and horses
The 6ft South American fugitive is accused of ambushing horse-riding youngsters as its owner is said to have given up trying to catch it
AN escaped ostrich-like bird has got locals spitting feathers after menacing drivers and kids.
The 6ft South American rhea, which can run at 40mph, has been a fugitive for weeks.
Its owner is said to have given up trying to catch it. Mums are furious because it keeps ambushing youngsters when they go horse-riding. Jessica Youens-Stunell, 39, said in Seaton, Devon: “My children and horses have been lucky they weren’t injured.”
She said the bird left her horses petrified.
It was last spotted in a field at nearby Stafford Cross.
The rhea was beside the busy A3052, sparking fears it could run on to the road and cause a pile-up. Steve Baker wrote on Facebook: “It was pecking away in the hedge.”
The owner has been accused online of saying the only solution is to shoot the bird.
Police said it was not a matter for them.
The RSPCA said rheas are not listed as dangerous. But the charity warned people not to approach them.