VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. (AP) — A man in Virginia Beach picked up an unusual jogging partner when an emu began following him.

Animal shelter supervisor Wayne Gilbert says Virginia Beach residents contacted the city after the emu showed up Thursday alongside the jogger in the Highgate Green neighborhood.

It turns out that the bird had merely drifted away from its home. Emus are legal to own in the area. Gilbert tells news media outlets that animal control officers located the bird, which was returned to its owner.