A group of six drones are being used to search for a runaway emu that escaped from a national botanical base in Linfen, Shanxi Province.

The team of drones, deployed by the National Chinese Yew Base, have to spot the bird, said Chen Yu, who manages the base on Monday.

The bird, originally native to Australia, made a break for it as employees at the base opened the door to its cage on April 27.

The emu was transported to the base that same day.

Five employees made chase before the emu disappeared into the surrounding forest.

Villagers have reported sightings of the escaped emu at the southern foot of the nearby Taiyue Mountain National Forest Park.

The base, which cultivates Chinese Yew, an evergreen shrub, has plans to develop into an eco-tourism resort with an investment of 600 million yuan ($96 million).

Chinanews.com