A rookie Australian police officer’s determined but unsuccessful foot chase of a runaway emu down a country road has become an unlikely viral sensation — and now the New South Wales force is using the comical footage to recruit new officers.
The flightless bird, native to Australia, was first spotted by locals in the small town of Nashdale, roughly 168 miles west of Sydney, wandering onto a road and creating what police described as a potential danger to both traffic and itself. A young officer who responded to the call volunteered to give chase on foot, but despite a brief burst of speed, the two-legged target proved too quick.
Video of the pursuit has spread rapidly across social media, drawing plenty of pun-filled commentary about the “emu-sing” chase. One viewer couldn’t resist a cartoon comparison, writing, “Look, it’s the road runner, but that’s not the coyote behind him.”
Police see recruitment potential
NSW state police posted the footage on Facebook, noting that the officer arrived to find the emu causing a “serious traffic hazard.” The bird was eventually moved away from the roadway without any damage — or feathers ruffled, as the force put it.
“Following a brief game of ‘catch me if you can’, the officer successfully moved the emu away from the roadway before it could ruffle any more feathers or cause a collision,” police wrote in the post.
They added: “It’s not every day you find yourself conducting traffic management for an emu, but that’s policing.” For anyone seeking a career where “every day brings something new,” the post suggested, becoming a police officer in regional Australia might be just the ticket.
Chief Inspector David Abercrombie of the Central West Police District said the “keen, young” officer behind the chase is enjoying his brief moment of fame, with the footage already clocking up nearly 90,000 views.
Officer: ‘I’m glad it wasn’t me’
Abercrombie, for his part, said he was relieved he wasn’t the one called to the scene. “If anyone asked me to chase an emu, it’d be more like watching a startled gazelle on Prozac,” he told national broadcaster ABC. “My speed would not be up to scratch.”
Emus are the second-largest bird in the world after the ostrich, and they have a long, storied history of causing trouble across Australia — a reputation that long predates this week’s viral moment.
A history of emu-related chaos
In 2020, as Breitbart News reported at the time, an isolated pub in the Australian outback was forced to ban a pair of local emus from the premises. Owners Gerry and Chris Gimblett said the birds had learned to climb the front steps and let themselves in, where they proceeded to knock over furniture, pick fights, spill drinks — and, notably, refuse to use the toilet facilities in a responsible manner.
But the most famous chapter in Australia’s fraught relationship with emus came nearly a century ago. In 1932, thousands of emus began eating their way through parched crops in Western Australia, prompting a deputation of ex-soldiers to request military intervention. The Australian military duly deployed Royal Australian Artillery soldiers armed with Lewis guns to cull the birds, launching what became known as the “emu wars.”
The military eventually gave up and withdrew, leaving the emus victorious in what remains one of the more unusual chapters in Australian military history.
For the rookie officer in Nashdale, the outcome was similarly humbling — but the footage has given the NSW police a recruiting pitch that’s hard to beat.
Source: www.breitbart.com — https://www.breitbart.com/europe/2026/09/03/watch-rookie-aussie-cop-in-hot-pursuit-as-runaway-emu-causes-havoc/