Police use Taser to capture escaped emu in British Columbia

Aug. 14 (UPI) -- Police in British Columbia said they used a Taser to subdue an escaped emu running wild in the middle of a busy road.

North Cowichan-Duncan RCMP said the 5-foot-tall flightless bird escaped from a farm near Chemainus just prior to 10 a.m. Tuesday and fled into the middle of Cheminaus Road, causing major traffic disruptions.

Animal control officers were summoned to the scene and authorities determined the bird was acting too aggressively to approach, leading them to use the stun gun on the emu.

The emu was taken to the property of Jim Dyke, a neighbor of the animals' owner, who is out of town until next week. Dyke said the emu, named Parker, appeared to be uninjured after the incident. He said the emu has gotten loose before, but had never been shot with a Taser before Tuesday.