At about 6:45 on the morning of September 23, somebody in Moriyama, Shiga Prefecture, called police about an ostrich in the street. The bird was a young emu, nearly two metres tall, which had escaped from a mobile zoo's nearby facility. Officers followed it in a patrol car but could not keep up. Security footage later showed it walking towards residents; one person waved it away with an umbrella.
According to Kansai TV's report, keepers caught the emu on the grounds of an apartment building about two hours after that first call. Nobody was hurt. A zoo employee said a gate fitting appeared to have come loose, allowing the door to open. The zoo apologised and said it would add a chain to the door.
BIRD IN HAND turns the encounter into a two-part rescue. You play a keeper on a morning street. Rush towards the emu and it bolts; stand in sight and its neck gradually lowers. That lowered head is your opening to step closer and offer a hand with A. The bird then follows, and the task changes from gaining trust to keeping the pair together. Hold B for a gentle walk, stop when the bird falls behind, and wait or call when it pauses at a flower bed. A passing patrol can break the bond unless you stay nearby and soothe it.
Bring the bird into the marked yard, reach the gate and press A to finish. Three portions of seeds can help with the first approach, but a rescue is possible without them. The clock covers two story hours; time running out or the emu escaping past the road ends the attempt. START pauses play. The trust rule, seeds and walk home are inventions for the cartridge: the report does not describe feeding the bird or leading it back to its own yard. Play in the browser or download the NES ROM.