This is the moment a farmer in south-western China goes to feed his birds but ends up being chased and pecked by a hungry ostrich.

The farmer, named Mr Lu in local media in Wenshan, in Yunnan Province, said he had not fed his ostriches in a while and because of that, they might not have recognised him.

CCTV footage from 7th December shows Mr Lu walking inside the enclosure carrying a large bucket of bird feed but he is soon met by two feisty ostriches that are apparently upset with him for not coming sooner.

One ostrich immediately takes an offensive stance and begins pecking at Mr Lu, who tries to defend himself with a wooden stick – but fails.

He is forced to drop the bucket on the ground and attempts to stand up to the ostrich and fight back, but the incredibly strong bird chases him out, making him leave the food behind.

Mr Lu said he had no choice but to run away as he could not counter back the ostrich’s attack.

Later, he shared the footage on social media, where netizens made jokes about the ostrich just wanting a hug.

User ‘Ono House’ wrote in a comment: “The division of labour is clear, one [ostrich] defends and the other attacks.”