This is the hilarious moment several cops on motorbikes chase after a runaway ostrich through city traffic almost as if it is running a marathon with its own police entourage.

The long-legged runner was reportedly spotted spiriting across the city of Zhengzhou, in north-central China’s Henan Province, on the morning of 6th November.

Several pieces of footage show the ostrich running across city streets among vehicles as traffic policemen follow along making sure an accident does not occur.

Two officers rode to the left and right of the large bird while others travelled behind, attempting to keep a safe distance away from it so it would not get scared off.

As the ostrich bolted through traffic, curious passersby captured videos of it as it almost appeared to be running a city marathon.

Witness Mr Wang said that he saw the ostrich appear on the elevated highway at around 8:00 am.

Wang said: “It was running through the middle of the elevated road, weaving in and out.

“When it changed lanes in the middle, we all started to make way, and there was a bit of a traffic jam.”

Later, traffic police reportedly drove the ostrich under the bridge, where it accidentally collided with one of the officers.

Both fell down but luckily went injured, and the ostrich was able to quickly get up and continue running.

After getting off the underpass, it was reportedly captured by a zoo worker at an intersection.

It is currently being kept at the zoo and is reported to be in good condition.

An employee from the Zhengzhou 122 Traffic Police Command Centre said: “We received the report very early in the morning. I am not exactly sure where it came from.

“It did run quite far, almost several tens of kilometres. (Its size) is indeed quite large.”

Ostriches ((Struthio camelus) are incredibly fast runners and can sustain high speeds over longer distances. They are capable of running at speeds up to 70 kilometres per hour (43 miles per hour).

They use their wings to assist in running and have strong jumping abilities, capable of jumping up to around 3.5 metres (11 feet).