Ostrich shows Boris Johnson where he sits in pecking order

Former British prime minister Boris Johnson was cruising slowly through what appeared to be a wildlife park when, without warning, an ostrich stuck its head through the open driver’s side window to give him a feisty peck.

“Ow!” Johnson can be heard shouting as his toddler giggles with amusement.

The incident was shared on Sunday (Monday AEST) in a video posted to Instagram by Johnson’s wife, Carrie Johnson, accompanied by the caption, “Too funny not to share”.

In the clip, after Johnson yelps, he seems to express some profanities (though they are somewhat inaudible). He then grabs the steering wheel and drives away. The toddler hanging from Johnson’s arm keeps giggling.

It was not immediately clear when or where the video had been taken, though social media posts by Carrie Johnson and local sightings show the family on vacation in Texas.

Other videos posted to her account that appear to be from the same location show the family looking at deer and an aoudad, a goat-like animal. Another recent post showed the family at Dinosaur Valley State Park, near Glen Rose, Texas.

Johnson was in Texas less than two years ago to lobby for Republican support for Ukraine.

It is not the first time Boris Johnson, who served as prime minister from 2019 until 2022, has been at the centre of slapstick public mishaps that align with his colourful and often chaotic tenure as Britain’s leader.

In February 2021, Johnson struggled to put a latex glove on his hand at a vaccination centre in Wales. It’s “like OJ Simpson,” Johnson quipped, referring to the 1995 murder trial in which a glove, which was a key piece of evidence, did not fit Simpson.

In July of that year, Johnson struggled to control his umbrella at a police memorial unveiling in central England.

Boris Johnson, right, next to the then Prince Charles, struggles with his umbrella at The National Memorial Arboretum in England in 2021.Credit: Getty Images

Representatives for Johnson’s family could not immediately be reached for comment. Several wildlife parks in the area also did not immediately respond to requests for information about whether the Johnson family had visited them.

Stumpy’s Lakeside Grill, a restaurant in Granbury, Texas, posted a photo of Johnson to social media on Saturday, noting that he had dined there.

“We are so honoured to have him as our guest!!” the restaurant said.

This article originally appeared in The New York Times.

Get a note directly from our foreign correspondents on what’s making headlines around the world. Sign up for our weekly What in the World newsletter.