ODESSA, Del., Nov. 13 (UPI) — An emu that had been roaming around a rural area in Delaware was finally captured after almost two months.
The large, flightless bird that local residents nicknamed “Eddie” had been inhabiting a neighborhood in Odessa for 66 days before finally being captured safely by local petting zoo employees on Thursday.
After reports of an attempted shooting, the efforts to capture Eddie safely intensified.
Two attempts were made at capturing the emu, before it was finally cornered in a nearby back yard and loaded onto a trailer.
“We got it. Locked and loaded,” owner of 3 Palms Petting Zoo Dan Stonebraker toldThe News Journal of the emu. “It’s safe. It’s happy. He’s real content.”
Stonebraker believes that Eddie had previously been kept as a pet, judging by his calm demeanor and comfort around humans. However, police calls searching for the emu’s owner yielded no returns.
Stonebreaker is searching diligently to find the emu a new home where he’ll hopefully be under more attentive care.
“I’m not letting this bird go to just anyone,” he said.
