Mystery after emu spotted 'on the run' in village

Sightings of a lone emu "on the run" in a Cambridgeshire village have mystified residents.

The large bird has been seen in various locations in Leverington, near Wisbech, over the last week.

Runners in a 10k race photographed the creature on farmland near their start line. So far, no one has come forward to say they had lost an emu.

An exotic animal rescue service charity said it was aware of the situation and advised the public not to approach or try to catch the bird, as it could distress it.

Andrew Baldwin, 52 lives in Leverington and was taking part in a 10k run when the bird appeared in an adjacent field.

"We were waiting at the start line and looked across the way and saw this emu running around, it was very unusual for Leverington," he told the BBC.

"Everyone agreed that it was an emu, it didn't look distressed, we were just amazed to see it".

Mr Baldwin's wife, Karen, 46, also saw the creature on the same day.

"This is the first time I have seen an emu around here, it looked a little bit lost, it wasn't a wild animal, it didn't have any pals, hopefully somebody locally is missing an emu, and it'll be reclaimed," she said.

"I was convinced it was an emu, I saw it when I was driving my car back home, it was running along the side of the road. It was very dark brown and because of its height I definitely thought it was an emu."

The National Exotics Animal Rescue Service appealed for information and sightings.

It said: "This animal is still believed to be on the 'run'.

"We have members of the team specialised in this species who are on reserve ready to spring into action and catch to reunite the bird with their owner.

"We are calling for members of the public, local to the area, to keep their eyes peeled. Whilst we don't believe the bird offers any immediate threat, we do not advise you to approach or attempt to catch the emu unless you have experience in doing so."

After pictures appeared on social media, there was some debate as to whether the bird was an emu or a rhea.

Ben McRobie, a former Cambridgeshire zookeeper who has worked extensively with emus identified the bird.

"An emu is darker and heavier set than a rhea, they have much thicker necks, with the pictures I have seen, I can safely say it is 100% an emu."

Mr McRobie added that the bird could, in theory be quite happy to live in the wilds of Fenland.

"They eat grassland, plants and insects and could easily tolerate the weather, but I do hope it is reunited with its owner soon," he added.

Follow Cambridgeshire news on BBC Sounds, Facebook, Instagram and X.