Hertfordshire Police and Three Rivers District Council are asking people in and around the village of Maple Cross to be careful of large, flightless Birds, after a flock of Rheas (Rhea sp.) were sighted in the area. The group comprises about 20 Rheas, South American Birds similar to Ostriches, although somewhat smaller, with efforts to recapture them so far unsuccessful. The police have been unable to trace the original owners of the Birds, which appear to be completely wild, and are now looking to find a new home for them, once they have been captured. Although smaller than Ostriches, Rheas are still potentially dangerous if they feel cornered, and there have been reports of them attacking Dogs and Deer in Hertfordshire.
There are three species of Rhea, the Greater Rhea, Rhea americana, native to the grasslands of Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Paraguay and Uruguay, the Puna Rhea, Rhea tarapacensis, found west of the Andes in Bolivia and Chile, and the Lesser, or Darwin's Rhea, Rhea pennata, found in the Altiplano and Patagonian grasslands of Bolivia, Chile, and Argentina. The Greater and Puna Rheas are classified as Near Threatened under the terms of the International Union for the Conservation of Nature's Red List of Threatened Species, while the Darwin's Rhea is classed as Vulnerable. All three species can legally be traded, and are sometimes kept as pets in the UK, although a flock of 20 would presumably require a large enclosure.
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