Ashley Tiefert talks about a traffic-blocking, runaway emu like you'd talk about the weather.

"At first I thought, 'Oh, there's an ostrich,'" said Tiefert, who was born and raised in the small community of Chemainus, B.C.

"Then I thought, 'Nope, that's an emu. There's an emu and a cop is following him down the road.'"

Tiefert was stuck in traffic on Chemainus Road just before 10 a.m. PT on Tuesday. She had been taking her daughter to the city when cars started to stop in the street.

A five-feet-seven-inch, 100-pound emu had escaped a nearby farm and wandered into traffic. RCMP were trying to catch it.

The quiet police chase passed Tiefert on the opposite side of the road. The emu's clawed toes clacked steadily on the pavement as the bird jogged down the shoulder, an RCMP truck with red and blue lights flashing rolling closely behind.

Watch the slow police pursuit of Chemainus emu on Tiefert's video

An emu that escaped from a farm in Chemainus B.C., ended up creating a morning traffic jam on Aug. 13, 2019. 0:13

Mounties later said the bird was not happy and became aggressive with officers and animal control personnel. After half an hour, officers subdued the bird with a Taser. It was returned to the farm unharmed.

Tiefert carried on with her business.

"Just another day in Chemainus, I guess," she said.