Escaped emu rescued after going on the run in Midlothian
It took officers 3 hours to return it to its paddock.
A stray emu that was on the loose in Midlothian has been rescued by animal welfare officers.
The Scottish SPCA was alerted by a member of the public on September 28 after the bird was spotted in a field in Loanhead.
It took animal rescue officers three hours to successfully return the emu to its paddock at the property of its owner.
Animal rescue officer Stephanie Grant said: The emu had managed to escape through a fence which we think had become faulty due to the recent bad weather in the area.
He appeared friendly but he was nervous and a little wary of our presence.
We tried to herd him back to the field where his female friends were by ushering him around half a mile through a series of fields near to his owner's house.
We finally managed to guide him up the track to his paddock and opened the gate for him to go in.
It took us a while but we couldn't be happier that the emu is back where he belongs - and his lady friends seemed very happy to see him.''
Emus are the second-largest living bird by height, after its close relative the ostrich, and are mostly native to mainland Australia.