Emu-nity Granted: Escaped bird continues to outsmart town

Thursday marks day four since a pair of young emus became a local sensation in Mountain Home. At last reporting one of the birds is safely being held on a local residents property while the other continues to evade it’s owner by trotting through neighborhoods in western Mountain Home.

According to the owner the two birds are around 7 months old making them smaller than their full grown counterparts and making it easier for them to slip through fences.

The original escape of the birds early Monday saw the birds slip through 8 strands of barbed wire in an area around Webber Road. Since then they had been spotted along Rodeo Drive and at one point near Hackler Elementary.

One bird is being cared for by a local land owner in a contained area on their property. It seems that a steady supply of food is keeping it in place until the owner can trailer it back home. The second bird was temporarily contained in a fenced area Thursday afternoon with several from the community on the scene trying to herd it towards its owner who attempted to capture it in a net. KTLO News was on scene during the attempted recapture but the bird was able to slip away through a barbed wire fence into an adjacent field and off into the woods. A video on KTLO’s Facebook page shows the moment the emu escaped Thursday afternoon.

The birds have become local celebrities with a local print shop commissioning and selling commemorative t-shirts. Many AI generated photos and videos have been circulating on social media as the whole area has become enthralled in the story. One viewer on Facebook stated, “At this point the emu is just a Mountain Home resident.” Another chimed in with, “Someone give these birds the key to the city and make them town mascots!”

Although the birds are generally harmless, if you encounter an emu it is best to stay your distance and allow the owner and local officials continue the search to return these birds back to their home.

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