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7 months ago
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Motorists got the shock of their life when an escaped rhea was spotted running through a village.
The flightless bird fled from a farmer's field on the edge of Repton, Derbyshire, after a gate was left open and was filmed running along Main Street, to the astonishment of oncoming drivers who slowed to a standstill.
Video shot by a passenger in a following vehicle was uploaded to the village's Facebook page with the caption 'that's the biggest chicken I've ever seen'.
Another local posted on the SPOTTED: Repton Facebook page: 'Has anyone in Repton lost an ostrich? Currently running up Main St' with a laughing emoji.
Other residents later reported that the bird had settled in the property of a garden before later returning to the farm following Sunday afternoon's drama. But owner Andrew Hallifield, who also owns a second rhea, was still searching his farmland for the bird this morning.
Video shot by a passenger in a following vehicle was uploaded to the village's Facebook page
Residents later reported that the bird had settled in the property of a garden before later returning to the farm
The 50-year-old told MailOnline: 'He ended up in the cornfield last night, but the bird was a little agitated and every time we went near it the thing shot off at 200mph. It was two fields away from where it should've been with its mate.
'We decided to leave it there for the night to calm down but when we went back today it'd moved.'
Mr Hallifield said he does not know the sex of the three-year-old bird, which doesn't have a name. It is now somewhere in his arable fields, which he was patrolling in his pick-up truck this morning in a bid to pinpoint the rhea's location.
'We've never had a moment's bother from either bird up until now', he added.
'We get walkers crossing our land and somebody must've left a gate open.
'They're lovely animals – I'm quite attached to them. They're just pets around the farm, we've never had an egg off either of them but the locals know that we have them because the farm is just on the edge of the village.'
Repton is home to broadcaster Jeremy Clarkson's old public school of the same name, where boarders are currently charged £14,560 per term and day pupils are charged £10,800.
The drama comes less than 18-months after a juvenile rhea escaped from a petting farm in Chesterfield, 37 miles north. Owner Adam Higginbottom said the bird was not found.
A local posted on the SPOTTED: Repton Facebook page: 'Has anyone in Repton lost an ostrich? Currently running up Main St'
There are thought to be less than a thousand rheas in the UK, most of which are farmed for their eggs.
In their native large South America rheas roam the open pampas and sparse woodlands of Argentina and Brazil for miles. Adult birds grow up to 5ft tall and can reach speeds of up to 40mph.
The bird's sharp, six-inch claws and strong legs make them potentially lethal.
In 2006, a rhea called Ralph escaped with two others from a farm in Benenden, Kent after they became startled by the introduction of squealing piglets in their enclosure.
The birds jumped a 4ft high fence and then cleared a 6ft-high hedge on the other side of a field. One of the other birds returned to the farm and a second was caught, but Ralph enjoyed four days on the run until he was found in a field close to the village.
Their feathers are used to make dusters, while their meat is edible as well as their eggs
Owner Andrew Hallifield, who also owns a second rhea, was still searching his farmland for the bird this morning
Owner Sue Savage said at the time that Ralph put up 'a hell of a fight' but was caught after residents formed a circle to hold him until RSPCA officers arrived to help recapture him.
The Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA) encourages owners to register captive birds - including rheas. But only owners with 50 or more captive birds are required to register them by law.
Registration enables APHA to contact owners if there's a disease outbreak (such as bird flu) locally.
There are thought to be less than a thousand rheas in the UK, most of which are farmed for their eggs.
Male rheas with chicks are aggressive and have attacked small planes (on the ground). The spur on their heel is as big as their claws and they can kick with a force of 800lb per square inch.
Their feathers are used to make dusters, while their meat is edible as well as their eggs. The birds can live for up to 40 years.
What are rhea birds?
Rheas are two species of large flightless birds that are native to South America and are related to the ostrich and emu.
The common rhea is found in open country from northeastern Brazil southwards to Argentina.
Meanwhile, the Darwin's rhea lives from Peru southward to Patagonia.
Both species are smaller than the ostrich as the common reah is around 4ft tall and weighs 50 pounds.
Whereas an ostrich can grow up to 9ft tall and can weigh up to 300 pounds.
Rheas evade their predators by running and they can travel at speeds of up to 50mph.
They flock together in groups of up to 20-25 birds during mating season.
After a male builds a nest, the females lay their eggs, which are usually between 10 to 60 eggs, and the male incubates them.
The female lays an egg every other day for a week to 10 days.
The birds are raised in the UK for egg farming and a rhea egg is the equivalent size of up to 10 chicken eggs.
It is usually lighter and fluffier than chicken eggs but comes with a much stronger flavour.
While they are usually raised on farms, there are reports that there may be feral flocks in the United Kingdom.
In 2021, up to 20 rheas were spotted running around a housing estate in Hertfordshire.
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