“When Life Throws a Cow at You”: Cultural Outing Turns Chaotic As 2 Emus Charge Kids

• Zulu performers in traditional attire were chased by emus during a cultural outing at Howick's Blueberry Brewery in KZN
• Two emus charged at the group repeatedly, sending performers and onlookers scrambling to get out of the way
• South Africans online could not stop laughing, questioning why the warriors with shields and spears ran from a bird

A cultural outing in Howick, KwaZulu-Natal turned into total chaos when a group of Zulu performers found themselves fleeing from charging emus. The video, shared on Instagram by @tarynlanthony on 29 September 2026, was filmed at the Blueberry Brewery, a resort-style venue that blends nature and cultural experiences.

The performers, dressed in traditional animal-skin attire and carrying shields and spears, were taking part in what looked like a lively cultural demonstration for tourists watching from a wooden viewing deck. A drummer was keeping the beat when the situation took an unexpected turn inside a fenced enclosure.

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Emus refuse to back down

Two emus launched a full charge at the group, sending performers sprinting in every direction. One young man vaulted over another person trying to escape the birds. The emus were relentless, changing direction and continuing to pursue anyone still within reach. Onlookers watching from the deck screamed and shouted as the chaos unfolded below. Eventually, both birds settled down, and the breathless performers sat together, laughing off what had just happened.

The drummer, it turned out, did not help matters. Several viewers pointed out that the drumming appeared to agitate the birds further rather than calm things down.

Watch the emu charge that sent Zulu warriors sprinting.

Mzansi reacts to the great emu chase

The clip spread quickly, with most of the humour centred on the fact that the performers were armed with traditional warrior gear yet still ran for their lives. South Africans in the comments on the Instagram page had plenty to say:

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@willie.fungo wrote:

"Fight that bird."

@sechmo said:

"King Shaka Zulu would be disappointed."

@yondathomas came to the performers' defence:

"RUUUUN! Those are not birds, those are war machines. They don't play. They fought 2 wars against armed soldiers and farmers and won... both times."

@nkosikhona_somahashi laughed:

"The drummer just made it worse."

@dougymca referenced history:

"And that, son, is how the emus won the war."

@ikaneng said:

"What is happening, Zulu people?" [translated from Zulu]

The video struck a chord across South Africa, with most people agreeing that, warrior credentials aside, nobody could blame the performers for running.

More on South African wildlife encounters

• Briefly News recently reported how a Limpopo snake catcher calmly removed a highly venomous black mamba hiding among old appliances at a lodge.
• A South African woman documented the damage after a bird struck her car windscreen during her first solo road trip.
• South Africans laughed after a wildlife photographer encountered a charging rhino and instinctively responded in unmistakably local fa

Source: Briefly News