Ostrich running loose in QC? In 2003, an elephant was found walking along Kamuning Road 2
It was a Jumanji kind of day when an ostrich was found running in a private subdivision, reminding us of actor Mark Gil's encounter with Jumbo the elephant in 2003. Photo from IMDb
Culture

Ostrich running loose in QC? In 2003, an elephant was found walking along Kamuning Road

Today, a guard stopped an ostrich at a village gate because it didn’t have a gate pass. By RHIA GRANA
ANCX | Aug 04 2020

“Someone must be playing Jumanji right now!”

For a while, people living in Mapayapa Village III, Pasong Tamo, Quezon City thought they were in the fantasy adventure movie, seeing a stray ostrich sprinting down the streets Tuesday morning. The long-legged bird seemed to be having a good run, followed by a goat, which seemed to be chasing it.

Meanwhile, another video showed a different ostrich finding its way out of the subdivision. It was halted by the guard with a gate barrier to avoid it from escaping.

“Hindi ka pwedeng lumabas, wala kang gate pass!” a voice in the video addressed it, so the creature on the loose just went off, but not without stealing the show on Twitterverse, where the videos went viral.

Later in the day, ABS-CBN News reported that the ostrich was eventually caught by the residents and the security guard of the subdivision. We’re hoping the two have remained unharmed and are back with their rightful owner.

Funnily, this incident reminded us about the story of Mark Gil whose love for elephants got him into trouble–and landed him in the headlines—back in 2003.

Story goes that Gil, an animal lover, got excited when he was told that an elephant named Jumbo had escaped from its cage at the Araneta Center where an elephant show was going on.

Gil said he particularly loves elephants because they are such gentle giants. He had dreamt of seeing one up close, so when he found out about the elephant on the loose, he got off his car and quickly rushed near the elephant. The Filipino trainers let him in because they recognized him so he started taking pictures of Jumbo.

You may also like:

The actor was thrilled to be able to touch the tusk of Jumbo. “It was actually my first time to ever touch an elephant, a dream come true," Gil told Ricky Lo in his Philippine Star column.

But after he touched Jumbo’s tusk, the Thai trainer tapped him somewhat hard on the shoulder, so he also tapped him in return. “And then spat at my face. Instead of hitting him back, I just turned my back and walked away.”

It may have been an unfortunate incident, but it sure made his day. Just like how this ostrich made us smile today.

Remember, always bring your gate pass!