Escaped Doncaster emu Ethel finally safe after being recaptured at Cusworth Hall

Ethel was finally caught by a group of animal lovers near to Cusworth Hall this morning, ending days of confusion and mystery about her escape.

Rooster Farm and Rescue Doncaster, which had been leading the hunt for the 6ft tall bird, posted on Facebook this morning: “Ethel is now safe!”

A spokesman said: "We have been helping to catch her since Friday and she has been caught and been taken to a safe place where she will be looked after properly.”

The animal, which can run at speeds of up to 30mph, had evaded capture by RSPCA officers and police for several days.

The bird initially escaped from a property in Sprotbrough on August 6, after apparently being startled by passers by taking her photograph.

There were then a number of sightings of the bird in and around Sprotbrough at Newlands Park and on the Trans Pennine Trail at Cusworth.

There were later reports that Ethel had been reunited with her owner after spending five days roaming fields and paths in and around the villages over the course of last weekend.

A post on the Our Sprotbrough Facebook page, along with a picture of Ethel, simply said: “She’s home, thanks for sharing.”

But there is now doubt whether Ethel was ever returned home and it is thought she has remained on the run since her initial escape.

Fresh sightings towards the back end of last week suggested that a second emu might be on the run in Doncaster after there were claims a similar bird had escaped from a property in Dunscroft.

But it now seems that Ethel – who has a distinctive white patch on her rear quarters where she has lost feathers – was the only bird on the loose throughout that time.

There were reports that Ethel had had stones thrown at her and the story attracted national attention, with newspaper reporters and photographers from The Sun, Daily Mirror, Daily Star and Daily Mail descending on Sprotbrough.

Ethel even made national TV and radio headlines.

There had been numerous attempts to recapture Ethel, but everytime she was approached, she darted off again, outpacing potential captors with speeds of up to 30mph.

Both South Yorkshire Police and the RSPCA had been bombarded with calls about the bird.