Emu on the loose in Scotland after running away from care home

Owner appeals to public to watch out for 4ft bird

Emus can run at up to 30mph; the Ecclefechan escapee had been bought from a farm only 24 hours earlier (Getty)

An emu is on the loose after escaping from its enclosure at a care home.

Owner Dennis Agnew had bought the bird and its female companion on Wednesday and has seen no trace of it since it disappeared 24 hours later.

He had taken the emu to see patients at Burnfoot care home in Ecclefechan, Dumfries and Galloway, where it’s believed to have got through a hole in the fence.

Mr Agnew is appealing for people to look out for the 4ft missing bird.

Anyone who spots it is asked to contact Police Scotland.

But catching it could be a challenge as the birds can run at up to 30 mph and could have travelled a long distance since escaping.

Mr Agnew, a groundsman at the home, also keeps donkeys, alpacas and sheep, some of which visit the home for the residents to see.

He said: “I think it has got out through a hole in the fence. I’ve been all over the place looking but I can’t find it.

“The Burnfoot Care Home is an old folk’s home and the animals help them with their dementia.

“I would ask people to keep an eye out for an emu. They can run at about 30 miles an hour.”

He said he had had to take the female emu back to the farm where he bought the birds because it looked unsettled.

Emus can grow to more than 5ft tall and may weigh at least 45kg (7st).