Emu once again free as a bird: Large and at Large

An emu on the loose for at least eight months in rural Morgan County is on the run again.

Morgan County Humane Society Animal Shelter Director Liz Duncan confirmed late Wednesday afternoon that an Australian emu captured Tuesday had hopped the fence and disappeared.

Tuesday morning, county animal control officer Gib Staten was summoned to the Morgan County Highway Garage on Blue Bluff Road by county workers who spotted an emu outside the fence at the county garage.

Staten corralled the bird for several hours, until volunteer help arrived to snare the wayward bird about noon. Rinker Road resident Candy Morrison, who owns several exotic pets and is a horse trainer, and had worked with emus before, was able to coax the 6-foot bird close enough to slip a noose around its neck.

The six-foot flightless bird was taken to a Clay Township farm, while Duncan contacted the Indianapolis Zoo to see if they wanted the apparently male bird.

"We got calls from Michigan, Chicago, calling to see if it was their bird," Duncan said. "We even got a call from one lady who said hers had a (micro)chip in its neck (with electronic owner's ID), and I said 'if I can get close enough to check, I'll let you know.' "

Emus have a reputation for being both dim-witted and excellent escape artists. A quick check of the Internet reveals any number of stories about emus escaping from zoos and farms for weeks and even months at a time.

In June 2004, several neighbors along Observatory Road in Morgan County claimed to have seen the tall, ostrich-like Australian bird in the area west of Ind. 67. One resident, Debbie Herrin, even placed a classified ad hoping to find that someone else had seen it or knew about it.

Other witnesses supported Herrin's story, claiming to have seen the bird pecking at the convertible top of a car parked at the Centerbrook Drive-In on Ind. 67.

No sightings of the bird came in over the winter, but his sudden reappearance Tuesday had dozens of motorists stopping to watch the emu.

Duncan said this is the mating season for emus, and that could be why he leaped for freedom.

"So if anybody has one (emu) and comes up with an extra, it could be him," Duncan said.

If anyone has any information on the loose emu, contact the Humane Society Animal shelter at (765) 349-9711.

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