Emu
In the village of Cambrose, in Wales, there was an Australian emu on the loose. A five-foot-tall emu was one of six living in a field in the area but escaped last Thursday. Owner Mark Boulcott had been unable to find the bird since and at the time, his son, Liam, explained that the emu probably jumped the fence to escape, and warned that if spotted, it can run fast but is likely to be fairly tame.
The emu is the Herbrandston & Narberth Dental Health Practices official pet – not the first animal to have its own job – but one with an important role. With it being Bonfire Night across the UK on November 5th, fireworks have been in the news for scaring animals, some even sadly dying from stress. The emu was one of those animals affected, jumping out of the enclosure after being scared by the fireworks.
Thankfully, there’s a happy ending. On Wednesday 13th Liam revealed that the emu was found safe and well, by some horse riders around a mile away, tired but recovering from his adventure. Although emus are native to Australia, there are a small number in the UK, although not in the wild.
Hatch your own
Two years ago a UK woman found herself with an Australian emu chick after buying an egg on eBay. After incubating and then raising Kevin the chick for 47 days, the Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals asked her to hand him over, as her home wasn’t right to raise the bird in. They can grow up to six foot tall and weigh ten stone, as well as living for twenty years, so Kevin was taken to a specialist – at least he won’t be living at a shelter.
It’s not a surprise to see unusual animals on the loose, but how often do we see Australian emus escaping? Last year a huge fire broke out at Chester Zoo, also in the UK, and staff advised the public to be on the lookout for a number of animals – birds included. Luckily, the rarest animals, the likes of endangered Sumatran orangutans, were accounted for straight away. Have you ever raised an unusual pet? Let us know in the comments box below!
