A forestry commission (RMK) employee initially thought he had seen a bear, which on closer inspection turned out to be a large bird, though not one he was familiar with, Maaleht said (link in Estonian).

After a couple of phone calls it was identified as an emu, a flightless bird native to Australia, and which is thought to have escaped from a nearby sanctuary.

Cases of exotic birds not native to Estonia surviving independently in the wild for some time before being located have been reported in the past, Maaleht writes, though the bird's owner is thought to be outside the country at present.

While the police have also been informed, the emu is still at large, Maaleht adds.

A video in the original Maaleht piece shows the bird, the second-tallest extant species of bird in the world, feeding on grass and foliage.

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