Giant bird still on the loose in Notts

The six-foot rhea, which is like an ostrich, escaped from a ‘private collection’ near Worksop yesterday.

The flightless bird is native to South America is near-threatened species in their native land.

They live in regions where it is hot in summer and very cold in winter - similar to Britain’s climate - and mainly eat insects, shoots, leaves and grasses.

If anyone sees the bird, people are being urged not to approach it, because of its aggressive nature.

They can run up to speeds of 40mph and reports suggest they can kill with one blow.

It is also reported that they may attack person’s eyes with their beak, and have six-inch-long claws.

Insp Paul Peatfield from Nottinghamshire Police said: “We are warning local people and particularly those with small children to be on their guard and not to approach the bird, which poses a very real threat to the public due to its size, aggressive nature and the unfamiliar surroundings it could find itself in.

“Officers are working with the owner to trace the bird as we look to bring his incident to a safe conclusion.

“If anyone sees this bird, please call 999 immediately, quoting incident number 601 of Tuesday, 23rd June.”