Warning over ‘extremely aggressive’ ostrich at large

PEOPLE have been warned not to approach an “extremely aggressive” ostrich spotted on the loose in a Scottish village.

The flightless bird, which can run at speeds of up to 43mph, was seen roam- ing free by several people near Patna in Ayrshire.

Members of the public were told not to approach the ostrich as it has young with it and may attack to protect the offspring.

Staff at the Scottish Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA), said they were mystified by the appear- ance of the exotic birds as nobody in the area had reported any missing.

The SPCA first received reports at the end of last week, and are convinced the calls were not a hoax.

Scott Sturgeon, 30, who works at a local cake shop, said: “We were a bit sceptical about it in here at first but the more I’m hearing, I must admit that there probably is an ostrich running around.”

Some social media users celebrated the fact that the ostrich had drawn attention to their small village. A mock Twitter account was even set up under the name #PatnaOstrich providing a running commentary from the bird’s perspective. One tweet read: “I’m not angry. Just misunderstood.”

Alistair Hill, an animal rescue officer, appealed to members of the public to contact the animal charity to report any sightings, adding: “We are warning members of the public not to approach the adult ostrich and to especially avoid approaching its young, as ostriches can be very protective and can become extremely aggressive.”

43 mph The speed at which adult ostriches are able to run to evade predators. They grow up to 9ft tall