Emu on the loose: Officers wrangle bird that traveled over 30 miles from home

LENOIR, N.C. (Gray News) – North Carolina officers found themselves taking an unusual suspect into custody over the weekend.

Officers with the City of Lenoir Police Department responded to a call for an emu that showed up at a home Saturday.

The female emu, named Kevin, walked up and laid down next to a father and his three children, which came as a shock to the family.

The dad called the police to help with catching Kevin.

An emu who traveled over 30 miles from its home in North Carolina was wrangled by responding... — An emu who traveled over 30 miles from its home in North Carolina was wrangled by responding officers.(City of Lenoir Police Department)

The officers managed to get a dog leash on Kevin, fed her by hand and put her into a neighbor’s fenced-in backyard.

The Caldwell County Animal Care Enforcement Division then came out to pick up and care for Kevin until her owners could be located.

The authorities discovered that Kevin lives in Moravian Falls, which is over 30 miles northeast of Lenoir.

Emus are the second-largest living birds by height, following the ostrich.

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