Emus found after escaping from farm

A pair of emus have been found after escaping from their home by jumping over a fence.

The two birds made their great escape from Gripps Farm in Brotton, Teesside, on Sunday lunchtime.

They were found three miles away in a field about 24 hours after going on the run.

Owner Kerys McAuley thanked the community for their help, adding: "Time for some new fencing, I think."

Ms McAuley, who is opening a petting zoo, said she owned four of the birds, but it was just two that had scarpered.

The emus are about 5ft tall, but can grow to be 6ft.

They were spotted at Hunley Golf Club in Brotton at about 14:00 GMT on Sunday but had vanished by the time Ms McAuley arrived.

Ms McAuley said: "Emus can be quite aggressive, but ours aren’t, or haven’t been.

"They’re only about six months old and they’ve only just started to get used to us. They can be quite nervous of people."

She said they would most likely find a wooded area to look for food, and she had received a call with a sighting of the emus eating brambles a couple of miles away from home.

Ms McAuley had warned the public not to approach the birds as they could "be quite spooked".

"Once they start running, they run rather fast and off they go!"

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