Escaped emu goes for a run in the snow in English town

Dec. 12 (UPI) -- An emu escaped from its home in Britain and took a half-hour run through a snowy town to the surprise of locals.

The emu, named Farange, escaped Sunday from its home in Tollesbury and frolicked through the snow in the town's streets, to the shock and delight of local residents who snapped photos of the runaway bird.

David Parker said he was walking with his family when they saw the emu run into a church graveyard.

"We were returning from a dog walk and saw he was running loose," Parker told The Echo. "I see the emu most mornings on my dog walk and occasionally stroke him when he is feeling friendly. It was a bit of a shock seeing him running around in the snow."

Parker rounded up a posse to capture Farange and return him home.

"It took us about half an hour to round him up. He is a very fast runner. The snow didn't exactly help with things either," he said. "Eventually we managed to get a hold of him. A couple of people have said I had him in a headlock but I wouldn't go that far."

"We caught it, and I held it round the neck until the owner's grandson arrived and frogmarched him back home," Parker said. "It wasn't what I was expecting to find. It certainly isn't an every day occurrence."