Oklahoma Police Officer Kyle Canaan drives his car with a Donkey on the passangers seats. Photo: Norman Police Department

A suburban US police officer has picked up an unusual subject found wandering along a rural road - a miniature donkey.

Police officer Kyle Canaan, from Norman, Oklahoma, said it took a little pushing, pulling and some animal feed, but he finally got the creature nicknamed Squishy into the back of his patrol car and out of harm's way.

The officer responded after a woman found the animal on the loose. The woman said she had a pen to keep the donkey in but no way to get it there.

Mr Canaan said the animal fit perfectly in his vehicle, adding: "I rolled the window down for it."

The woman who found Squishy said if an owner does not come forward, she plans to keep the donkey.

The unusual nature of Officer Canaan's taxi duties were acknowledged rather dryly by Norman Police Department in a statement on Twitter.

"Our officers encounter unexpected things every day while on-duty," it said, accompanied by a picture and an undramatic explanation of the circumstances.

It added: "It's not everyday that you see a donkey in the backseat of a police car!"

PA Media