'Emu down!' Man wrestles escaped Devon emu in road before the bird headbutts him and bolts

From the Newshound archive · first published 25 September 2026 · last updated 26 September 2026.

James Barker, 46, was driving through Salcombe, Devon on September 9 when he came across a man grappling with an escaped emu at the roadside and stopped to film the encounter. The man managed to wrestle the giant bird to the ground, calling out "emu down, emu down!", before it headbutted him across the road and fled back through the farm gates it had originally escaped from. Barker's wife Ro shared the clip online, where it has since been viewed more than two million times.

An alpaca observed the entire 20-second struggle from behind the farm gates, rounding out the scene.

Barker said: 'It's not something you see every day — I had to take video otherwise people wouldn't believe me.'

One viewer commented: 'You can't make that up, this has made my day' — another added: 'Only in Salcombe!'