Ostrich gives Chinese traffic police the bird

Video has emerged from China showing an ostrich causing chaos after getting free and crashing through a toll booth.

The spirited animal broke through the guardrail on the Ningbo Expressway, south of Shanghai just after 6am on Monday morning, News QQ reports.

Traffic police were dispatched to intercept the ostrich but officers struggled to control the bird.

One man can be seen being particularly heavy-handed, cruelly striking the ostrich with a whip-like object.

However, the two metre tall, 150kg bird seemed unperturbed.

The ostrich is believed to have escaped from a nearby farm, according to News QQ.

Male ostriches can reach heights of nearly three metres, and females two metres.

They can also reach speeds up to 70 km/h.

Source: News QQ