It's not an ostrich: Emu causes highway traffic jam

DOUGLASVILLE, GA -- Drivers may have mistaken it for an ostrich, but an emu was at the heart of a highway traffic jam in metro Atlanta.

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports that authorities in Douglas County received calls about a big bird running around Interstate 20 early Tuesday morning.

Douglas County sheriff's Lt. Glenn Daniel says the emu had gotten loose from a private owner who lived nearby.

Several deputies corralled and captured the flightless bird. Daniel says it appeared to be scared but was not injured and was returned to its owner.

This is not the first instance of an unexpected animal wandering across I-20. In 2010, DeKalb police say a bison either fell or jumped out of a truck on the highway. The animal suffered broken legs and was euthanized.