Residents in a quiet Japanese neighborhood started calling police after a huge flightless bird appeared in the streets. The first reports described it as an ostrich. After a two-hour pursuit, police finally caught the animal — and discovered everyone had been chasing an emu.
A Two-Meter Bird Was Running Through the Neighborhood
The incident happened in Moriyama City, Shiga Prefecture. Tokyo Reporter, citing Nippon News Network, reported that residents made multiple emergency calls after seeing what they believed was an ostrich wandering through the residential area.
Police located the roughly two-meter-tall bird, but catching it was another matter. It initially escaped officers and kept moving through the neighborhood before authorities cornered it about two hours later at an apartment complex.
The “Ostrich” Was Actually an Emu
After the bird was secured, authorities identified it as a juvenile emu less than a year old. It had escaped from a nearby mobile zoo after a door that was normally kept closed was left open. The keeper said the most important outcome was that nobody was injured.
The mix-up is what turns an animal escape into a perfect “What in the World?!” moment: frightened residents reported an ostrich, police spent hours chasing it, and the final reveal was that the runaway was a completely different giant bird.
Quick FAQ
Was it really an ostrich?
+ No. Police ultimately identified the bird as an emu. − From a distance, its size and appearance were enough to prompt multiple ostrich reports from residents.
Where did the emu come from?
+ It had escaped from a nearby mobile zoo. − Its keeper said a door that was normally closed happened to be open when the bird got out.
Next on What in the World?!
The next story will follow the same rule: strange enough to stop the scroll, recent enough to matter, and backed by evidence you can actually see.