Road runner! Ostrich swerves in front of cars as it races along a highway in China after falling out of a truck
This is the moment drivers had to dodge an ostrich running down a motorway in northern China after it fell out of a truck.
Video shows the flightless bird, which can reach speeds of 45 miles an hour, swerving cars as it races across lanes on the Rongcheng–Wuhai Expressway in the city of Tianjin on January 3.
A witness called traffic officers to say an ostrich 'as big as a car' was rushing down the highway, according to local media reports. 
The ostrich swerves between lanes as it rushes down the highway in Tianjin, northern China
Officers in two police cars managed to contain the terrified bird and get it off the expressway.
They herded it into an enclosed courtyard, where it was reunited with its owner.
He had been transporting the ostriches to Jizhou District when a door bounced open when he hit a bump. The bird then made its break for freedom, according to local news site Sina.
Ostriches can grow as tall as 9 feet and weigh up to 330 pounds - enough to do severe damage in a collision with a car.
The flightless bird, which can reach speeds of 45 miles per hour, races down the Rongcheng–Wuhai Expressway on January 3
The ostrich runs down the road and in-between cars after falling out of a truck transporting it to the Jizhou District
China is Asia's number one breeder of the birds, with around 20,000 farms according to a 2019 study.
They are farmed for their meat, eggs as well as their feathers and bones.
However, ostriches can be aggressive and were listed as one of the most dangerous birds in the world by encyclopaedia Britannica.In the wilds of Africa, their deadly kicks have been known to kill lions as well as other bigger predators.
Ostriches are unlikely to attack humans unless provoked or if they feel threatened.
Last month a fisherman near the city of Yancheng, in the eastern Chinese province of Jiangsu, found himself under attack from a territorial 'guard ostrich'.
Video footage showed him being repeatedly trampled by the massive bird after breaking into a private property to fish at a pond.
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