Summary The only colony of wild nandus in Europe lives in a small area in northern Germany. There, the ancestors of the ostrich-like birds broke out of an enclosure about 20 years ago. Nandus usually like it rather warm, live in the open pampas and plains of South America and are threatened with extinction there. They are kept in farms in Europe for their feathers, hide and also for the meat. Some specimens escaped from a private enclosure near Lübeck at the turn of the millennium. Since then, nandus have been appearing in neighboring Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania.The open landscape is dominated by extensive agricultural steppes. There, the nandus find what they need to survive cold winters: Rape, beets and corn plants from modern industrial agriculture. In some places, the appetite of the large birds is causing crop damage and displeasure among farmers. Conservationists are also sounding the alarm. Young nandus eat endangered insects and lizards. Although strictly protected, Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania's Ministry of the Environment has made the exotic ratites legal hunters. Since then, nandus have been shot.At the same time, the exotic birds are increasingly attracting curious weekend tourists and nature photographers on nandu safaris. They are easy to observe from the roads because they show little shyness. Are nandus a threat to farmers and nature? A biologist follows the running giants and gathers facts to learn more about the potential pest.

• Documentary