People wearing animal costumes for escape rehearsals are nothing new. For example, Tobe Zoo in Ehime, Japan, conducted a “lion escape” exercise in 2019 in which an employee dressed in an unconvincing lion costume tried to escape while colleagues tried to lure them in.
Still, we can say that the more recent “ostrich escape” rehearsal really did put a premium on the costume. Photos shared on the Facebook page of Chiang Mai Zoo in Thailand show a person with white face paint, wearing an ostrich head-like hat and a barrel-like dress.
This “ostrich” was participating in a training exercise aimed at preparing zoo staff in the event of a real ostrich escape one day. With a length of up to three meters and a weight of up to 140 kilograms, an escaped ostrich can possess quite frightening strength.
Ostriches can reach frightening speeds of up to 72.5 kilometers per hour, using their powerful legs to escape when disturbed. If cornered, they can use these legs as a weapon, kicking and tearing them apart with their clawed feet.
While the Australian cassowary is generally considered the most dangerous bird in the world, ostriches are actually larger and heavier. In the wild, they can challenge fairly large predators, including lions and humans.
In a memory reminding of the strength of these animals’ legs, it is said that the famous singer Johnny Cash nearly lost his life when he was kicked by an ostrich one day while walking. The animal Cash tried to drive away with a stick kicked him, and he narrowly avoided his stomach being torn apart by a thick belt.
Although the zoo worker made a nice-looking ostrich, it’s likely that he didn’t quite manage to run around the zoo at over 72 kilometers per hour. Therefore, his colleagues finally managed to catch the “leak” with the help of a net…
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