Loose emu captured in Missouri neighborhood
WeirdNews
Barlos said the emu, believed to be 15-20 years old, is in good health.
MISSOURI (Web Desk) - Animal rescuers in Missouri said an emu was captured after multiple days on the loose thanks to local residents who cornered the flightless bird in a yard.
The Bi-State Wildlife Hotline, a rescue group serving Missouri and Illinois, said volunteers were summoned to a Lake Lorraine-area home where residents had cornered a loose emu in a yard.
"Some of the people had kind of cornered it in a yard," rescuer Brooke Barlos told The Leader newspaper. "It's about a half-acre yard. It took us about 10 minutes to get him in a crate. I wrapped a blanket around him and gently put him in a crate. My friend, Jen Bess, helped."
The capture was caught on camera and posted to the Lake Lorraine News Facebook page.
Residents said the emu had been on the loose in the area, which is north of Hillsboro, for at least a few days.
The owner of the emu turned custody of the bird over to the animal rescue group, citing his own age and ailing health.
Barlos said the emu, believed to be 15-20 years old, is in good health.
"His name was Ugly, but it's no longer his name," Barlos said. "I was calling him Reggie. He's going to live on a friend's farm in Farmington. What they call him is up to them."
