Footage of an Australian police officer chasing an emu down a country road has gone viral, with authorities using the light-hearted moment as a recruitment tool.

The flightless bird – native to Australia – was reported to police by locals in Nashdale, 270km (168 miles) west of Sydney, after it was seen wandering onto a road, posing a potential danger to traffic and itself.

Attempting to get the emu off the road, a young officer gave chase on foot but failed to catch his feathered target, despite speeding up at one point.

The video has attracted many comments on the “emu-sing” chase, with one viewer referencing a famed cartoon: “Look, it’s the road runner, but that’s not the coyote behind him”.

On Tuesday, New South Wales police posted the footage on Facebook, saying the officer arrived at the scene to find the bird creating a “serious traffic hazard”.

“Following a brief game of ‘catch me if you can’, the officer successfully moved the emu away from the roadway before it could ruffle any more feathers or cause a collision,” police wrote in the post.

“It’s not every day you find yourself conducting traffic management for an emu, but that’s policing,” adding that anyone looking for a career where “every day brings something new”, becoming a police officer in regional areas was a good option.

Chief Inspector David Abercrombie from the Central West Police District said the “keen, young” officer who gave chase was enjoying his short-lived fame as the footage had been viewed almost 90,000 times.

Abercrombie said he was glad it wasn’t him who had been called to the bizarre scene.

“If anyone asked me to chase an emu, it’d be more like watching a startled gazelle on Prozac,” he told national broadcaster ABC. “My speed would not be up to scratch.”

Police in regional and rural areas were often called about animals on the road, he said, but they usually involved livestock or kangaroos.

“It’s the trials and tribulations of the life of a country cop,” he said.

The footage has captivated many in recent days, with humorous observations posted online.

“Wait until it turns around and chases him. Then we’ll see how fast he can run,” joked one while another wrote: “At least that bird wasn’t a flight risk.”

And one person posted “Emu wars revisited”, a reference to Australia’s failed Emu War of 1932 when the military unsuccessfully attempted to cull thousands of the birds as they ravaged crops.