SYDNEY (AFP) - A runaway circus camel caused traffic chaos and trespassed onto the ninth green of a military golf course before bemused Australian police recaptured it on Monday (July 10).

Rush hour drivers in the Northern Territory's capital Darwin had to dodge the rogue animal as police chased it onto the Royal Australian Airforce Darwin Golf Club, where it was cornered.

"It caused a bit of traffic mayhem for a few minutes as it ran down a few streets," said Police Duty Superintendent Rob Burgoyne.

Witnesses described the scene as "bizarre" as attempts were made to tame the beast.

"I just walked and heard one man yell to another 'don't run or the camel will run more,'" onlooker Meng-Hsuan Lee told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation. "When they tried to catch it, the camel started to run and cross the road."

Police admitted in a Facebook post the incident had presented an unusual challenge.

"It appears the fine men and women of the NT Police also have hidden talents in camel wrangling after they quickly tracked it down, secured it and handed it back over to circus personnel," it said. "And it wasn't even hump day!"

Camels were first introduced to Australia in the 19th century and their population in the wild has exploded, now numbering up to one million.