For 20 years, a giant flightless bird has been wreaking havoc in northeastern Germany. More than 600 South American Greater Rhea birds have now made themselves at home in the region, much to the chagrin of local farmers.

The birds originally escaped from a private zoo

The obvious question you may be tempted to ask is: what on earth are 600 flightless South American birds doing in northeastern Germany? Were they once pets or did they travel here via some other means? Well, the story of this amazing bird’s migration to Germany begins at a private zoo, where six Greater Rheas were once kept, until 20 years ago, when a gate at the zoo was left open and the birds escaped. 

Once out in the wild, the birds began to breed, and the total number of Greater Rheas in Germany is now around 600. This video from DW shows exactly how these giant birds came to be an exotic new feature of Northern Germany’s ecosystem, and why they are such a pest for local farmers.