An unusual pet has been found after he knocked on a stranger’s front door and set off their doorbell camera.
The pet emu, named Rodney, had escaped from his home in the village of Loose in Kent on Saturday.
He ran off and ended up in the nearby town of Maidstone, where he wandered up the driveway of a house, knocked on its front door with his beak, and kicked a plant pot.
Rodney could also be heard chirping as he was captured.
The bizarre moment was caught on the homeowner’s doorbell camera, as three people surrounded the flightless bird before one wrapped their arms around his neck.
Kent Police said that at around 1.10pm, officers on patrol in Maidstone assisted with the emu that had escaped from a residential property in the Loose area.
In a post to X, formerly Twitter, the force said: ‘A slightly different call for (vehicles) SD14 & YA92 this afternoon.
‘One emu (Rodney) from the Maidstone area safely returned to his owners.’
Emus have been legal to keep as pets in the UK since 2007, after a review of the Dangerous Wild Animals Act deemed them and 32 other species to not be a risk to the public.
They can grow to more than six feet tall and are the second-tallest bird by height, after ostriches.
Emus, which are native to Australia, can live for up to 20 years.
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