TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Nozaki Takao was out for an early morning run on Saturday (March 23) in Tainan when he encountered an emu sharing the roadway with him.

Nozaki was out for a 12-kilometer run around Yuguang Island in Tainan's Anping District when he noticed the bird he initially thought was an ostrich. He was careful to keep his distance and waited for the emu to leave before proceeding further.

In speaking with local media later, Nozaki smiled and said the encounter left him feeling that Yuguang Island was a "natural wonderland." Nozaki is a foreign affairs advisor to the Tainan City Government and the former head of the Tainan City Japanese Association, per Liberty Times.

A big bird was spotted on the loose in Tainan. (Facebook, Nozaki Takao photo)

While Nozaki was amused by the encounter, the emu has been a sort of headache for those living on Yuguang Island. According to local borough chief Lin Ning-feng (林寧峰), the emu was kept by a resident as a pet for two years.

Lin said the owner never thought the emu would grow so large. He also had trouble keeping it inside an enclosure, as it would escape from time to time.

According to Lin, the owner was worried the emu would scare people on scooters or those walking around the island. The emu could also have potentially hurt people. The owner eventually gave the emu to Tainan's Bureau of Agriculture, which then outsourced its care to a local company.

After receiving multiple reports of the stray emu, municipal officials dispatched staff to capture the flightless bird. It was safely returned to the company entrusted with its care.

As for Nozaki, he estimated the bird was about half the height of a person. Although the bird was lively and did not seem afraid of strangers, he wanted to keep his distance and took pictures from afar.