This is the bizarre moment an escaped ostrich caused chaos on roads in central Thailand.

The 6.5ft-tall bird weighing more than 100kg escaped from a farm and ran along a busy road in Chonburi province on September 1.

Concerned onlookers contacted the local police for help when the animal walked in front of a department store and disrupted traffic by blocking motorists.

Officers took two hours to herd the aggressive animal into a car park before finally being able to tie a rope around its legs to secure it.

District Patrol Officer Police Lieutenant Colonel Atthapong Chantrang said the curious bird had caused a mile-long traffic jam.

He said: 'I thought there was an accident but when we found the ostrich, we had to call the rescue team for assistance.

'The bird just refused to be caught. It was agile and kept dodging us like it knew that we were after it. The bird caused a mile-long traffic jam and motorists were stuck.'

Officers and rescuers carried the bird and put it in a pickup truck while waiting to identify the bird’s owner. Police later traced it to a nearby farm.

Farm supervisor Boonkong Leedokmai arrived at the parking lot where the ostrich was being held. He apologised for the inconvenience caused by the rare bird.

He said: 'The ostrich was reared naturally so we assume that someone had left the farm gate open, allowing the bird to escape to the roads.'

The bird was taken back to the farm safely.

Onlooker Phuridach Pangvichai said: ‘I thought it was very random to see an ostrich walking on the road. The bird owner should be in a rush to pick the bird up before it causes any more problems.’