You picked on the wrong bird! Moment man grabs escaped emu and wrestles it to the ground - before the animal breaks free, headbutts him and runs off

See more Daily Mail on Google - save us as a Preferred Source Published: 11:38 EDT, 24 September 2026 | Updated: 11:41 EDT, 24 September 2026 This is the moment an emu headbutted its captor during a dramatic takedown after escaping from its home. The exotic bird was tackled to the ground on a country road on September 9 after bolting from its holding in Salcombe, Devon. Footage captured by James Barker, 46, who was driving along the road when the tussle took place, shows a man wrestling with the defiant emu while struggling to keep it under control. He attempts to pin down the bird before shouting: 'Emu down, emu down!' - in a bid to seek assistance from staff at the farm. After scuffling for at least 20 seconds, the bird hilariously headbutts its captor - sending him flying onto the other side of the road before trotting back into the gated property it escaped from. Mr Barker, who was laughing hysterically throughout the event, said the incident was made even more entertaining by an alpaca, which watched the struggle from inside the gated farm. 'It's not something you see every day,' he said. 'I had to take a video otherwise people wouldn't believe me. An escaped emu in Salcombe, Devon, wrestles with its captor, who shouts: 'Emu down - emu down!' The exotic bird then begins to gain control as it stands up trying to flee the man The emu then defiantly headbutts the man before trotting back to the gated farm it came from 'I saw the bird on the road, so I pulled up to let the guy get hold of it - but it was too funny not to try and film. 'The alpaca stood in the gateway made the scene. It was evident the bird was not quite so keen to get back to his home!'Nowadays with everything going on in the world, it's quite nice to see something that is a bit entertaining!' Ro Barker, James's wife, shared the video to social media - where it has received more than two million views. One person commented: 'You can't make that up, this has made my day.'