A zoo gardener was forced to use whip tongs to restrain an aggressive ostrich that had him pinned to the ground.
The maintenance worker was in the African savannah habitat at Taronga’s Western Plains Zoo in Dubbo, New South Wales, two weeks ago when he got into trouble.
Footage of the encounter has emerged showing the man on his back as the aggressive male ostrich towers over him with its wings spread.
A maintenance worker was forced to defend himself against an aggressive male ostrich using only whip tongs
The footage shows the gardener initially slowly backing away and using his whip tongs to keep the angry ostrich at bay.
The cutting device was not turned on at the time.
Undeterred, the gigantic bird delivered numerous kicks to the worker with its long claws.
The gardener ended up being pinned against a rock as he tried to use his feet to put distance between himself and the bird before sliding off and falling into the mud.
Another employee is then seen passing by to assess the situation.
Taronga Zoo has confirmed the man suffered only minor injuries and has since returned to work.
Male ostriches are known to become aggressive during the mating season, which lasts from June to late October or early November each year.
The attack happened two weeks ago in the African savannah habitat at Taronga’s Western Plains Zoo in Dubbo, New South Wales (pictured)