Wild emu chase: Watch hapless police try to lasso runaway bird on freeway

An emu brought a freeway to a standstill in the US as police officers tried in vain to capture the escaped creature.

The bird led officials on a chase on Interstate 10 in Las Cruces, New Mexico, as they tried to lasso it with ropes.

Traffic was halted and motorists were treated to hilarious scenes as the bird dodged capture.

Alyssa Ilano captured footage of the officers' battle with the wayward emu as it sprinted down the freeway and shared it to Facebook, where it gained traction.

The clip has been shared nearly 2,000 times so far.

A spokesperson for the local sheriff's office confirmed that the bird was later captured.

Earlier this week, a video emerged of farm animals joining runners taking part in a fun run in Munich, Germany .

Competitors taking part in the German leg of the Wings for Life World Run on Sunday 6 May were joined by a flock of sheep, goats and a cow. Fortunately, the runners didn't appear to be fazed by the unusual competition.