Emu escapes in Massachusetts, leads police on chase

Don’t emu-late this at home.

A pet emu escaped her home Thursday night in Massachusetts, leading police and her owner on a chase through residential streets.

The bird’s owner, Lee Flaherty, wasn’t at his East Bridgewater home when the bird broke free, Boston WCVB-TV reported. Flaherty speculated that a wild animal spooked the emu, who is named Mallory.

The giant flightless bird then likely hurdled the 6-foot fence in her enclosure and made for the street, Flaherty told WCVB. He said he and his wife were pulling into the driveway when they spotted Mallory and tried to calm her down. But a truck drove by at an inopportune time, and Mallory ran for it.

“[Emus] can do about 35 [miles per hour], so she was flying,” Flaherty told WCVB. “She ran all the way up to an intersection and then cut into a field. I got up to her in the field and was walking with her and she wouldn’t come. She was terrified.”

Mallory dashed through the streets of East Bridgewater to the neighboring town of Brockton, as residents posted videos on social media and called police.

Eventually, Flaherty teamed with the cops and an unnamed bystander to capture Mallory in a shopping mall parking lot, according to WCVB. Flaherty took her home in his SUV and said she suffered only a minor leg injury.

East Bridgewater is located about 25 miles south of Boston.