The flightless bird of Australia, an emu has become a local celebrity in North Carolina! It has evaded capture for over three weeks now!
There is a new celebrity in North Carolina and he is on the run! It is an emu who is around five-foot-tall and has been successful in eluding his captors for the past three weeks!
Emu – the local celebrity
An emu has become a local celebrity in North Carolina. It has managed to remain uncaptured and free for the past three weeks.
The large flightless bird which is primarily a native of Australia has been periodically spotted around North Carolina’s Chatham and Orange counties since 26 June 2019.
Most recently, the bird was seen on Thursday 18 July 2019. It was running through someone’s yard which was located in between the two counties.
Before this, it was seen in Chatham County and this was last week. The bird fled when the forest department and animal welfare authorities’ offer coals arrived on the scene.
It probably sensed the danger and off it went into hiding again!
HAVE YOU SEEN HIM/HER?: A clever fast emu is on the loose in Chatham and Orange counties. We’re hot on the trail with the story later today @SpecNewsRDU pic.twitter.com/0rpd7aDYY1
— Chris Williams (@CWilliamsLA1) July 15, 2019
There are pictures and videos of him posted on social media by various people and media personnel.
What do the authorities state?
It is a mystery as to how this emu has landed in North Carolina. The officials suspect that the bird has escaped from one of the farms around the area.
But no one has yet come forward to report the loss or claim it. Orange County Animal Services spokesperson Tenille Fox told Huff post via, an email:
“At this point, no owner has come forward.”
Tenille Fox has put up a warning that any person who sights the bird should report and alert the animal control. They cautioned that the individual should not try to catch the bird himself or herself since it could be dangerous.
“We are urging the public NOT to approach, try to catch, or handle this animal. This emu is pretty large and could potentially be dangerous if it becomes fearful or defensive.”
More details of the emu
The News and Observer magazine has reported that the emu is around 5 feet tall and probably weighs more than 100 pounds. It has wings. A local resident from Chapel Hill named John Brennan described the bird as an impressive animal.
Authorities are going slow on the catching since they fear for the well-being of the bird. They believe that any aggressive attempt to catch the emu might endanger the bird’s life. They want to remain gentle in the capture. The officials are waiting for the bird to enter into a partially contained area such as a pasture or a semi-fenced spot so that their staff can capture it without any stress or danger to it.
“We worry about causing more stress in this heat. We also don’t want the emu to wander onto a road with heavy traffic and get hit by a car. And We hope he/she is finding ample water in this heat as well.”
They hope that the animal finds enough water this summer to keep itself cool and well-hydrated.
Source: Huff Post
