November 13, 2015
An emu running free through the farms, meadows and towns of Delaware for more than two months – prompting a "soft lockdown" of area schools, has been taken into human custody, state officials confirmed.
The 6-foot-bird, nicknamed Eddie, was believed to have escaped from a pet owner who never claimed him. For months, he became a fascination of residents around Odessa and Townsend, according to CBS 3.
The Delaware Department of Agriculture contacted multiple emu farms, but were unable to find an owner.
On Thursday, Eddie was captured at a property in Townsend, where owner Tom Curley confirmed he was roaming around in the woods behind his yard.
Eddie had previously been sighted at a thousand acre Odessa farm, gobbling up corn, according to owner Lea Hutchins, who said he was concerned about the bird's safety after someone stopped at the side of road and fired shots at him. The Delaware Department of Agriculture had said police could shoot the bird if he posed a public threat.
Employees of a petting zoo in Clayton were able to secure Eddie and take him to a nearby farm, where he will be examined and put up for adoption.
