A wandering emu is back home after the big bird turned up in the front yard of a Vista house, San Diego Humane Society officials said Friday.
Turns out that Freddy, a flightless bird, fled after fireworks had spooked him, San Diego Humane spokesperson Nina Thompson said.
Freddy’s return home — and to his emu girlfriend, Frankie — comes two days after someone called to report that an emu was in their family’s yard on Vale View Drive, off Hacienda Drive just south of state Route 78.
Six of the organization’s officers and emergency response team arrived and, concerned for the bird’s safety, used a roll of orange plastic netting to guide the emu into a trailer, Thompson said. The bird was then taken to the organization’s Escondido campus.
Veterinarians there noted the bird had suffered injuries to its neck and right wing, Thompson said. The animal, which staffers nicknamed Claudius, was placed in a fully-enclosed yard to be monitored by medical staff.
The search for its owners was on, and it was quick. The owners reclaimed the bird Friday.
Thompson said it appears the emu injured itself after fleeing from home, which is near where he was found.
“We are so glad Freddy is reunited with his family, just in time for the weekend!” Thompson said.
Emus are legal to own in California and are often considered livestock
