What initially appeared to be an escaped ostrich turned out to be a Thai zoo employee dressing the part to train staff members on how to respond when an animal escapes.
For the training exercise, the man donned white face paint, a giant ball of cloth and a fake ostrich mask buckled to a long neck. He was then chased around Africa Zone at the Chiang Mai Zoo in Chiang Mai, Thailand.
The zoo explained in a Facebook statement that the exercise was meant to train staff members on how to prepare and respond to a real situation in which an animal escapes from its enclosure. The scenario required veterinarians and staff members to “control the area in order to capture and return the ostrich to its enclosure.”
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According to CNN, a video shared with the news outlet showed several zoo staff members laughing loudly as the man dressed in an ostrich suit wandered around while bobbing his body up and down to imitate an ostrich’s movement.
The staff members practiced chasing the man with handheld nets and kept him cornered with the help of a giant net blocking him off. A hood was then placed over his head as they led the “ostrich” back to its enclosure.
Featured Image via Chiang Mai Zoo Facebook
