Free-Range Ostirch

This was one ostrich that didn’t stick its head in the sand. A 450-pound bird led county cops on a four-hour (goose?) chase after it escaped from a pen in the community of Mt. Sterling, Utah, about 60 miles north of Salt Lake City. Deputies, officers with the Utah Division of Wildlife and Utah Highway Patrol troopers tracked the ostrich as it ran west toward Wellsville - and busy U.S. Highway 89/91. “It just kept running back towards the highway,” Sheriff’s Lt. Kim Cheshire said. “We’d chase it off and it would head back.” Local ranchers tried to lasso the panicked bird with lariats and tried to lure it into a noose on the ground, with no luck. Finally, the ostrich stumbled while running through a ditch, giving the wranglers an opportunity to pounce. The frightened bird was returned to its pen and no injuries were reported, except for Bingham’s wounded pride. “It was the funniest call I’ve ever been on,” Todd said.