"That's not a birdie, that's an emu"

I heard about this on the news earlier today ... I wonder what about the golfer's jacket interested the emu?

That's Not a Birdie, That's an Emu
By Associated Press
8:42 PM CDT, September 4, 2007

ELMA, Wash. - Every golfer likes a birdie, even more so an eagle. But an emu? The big bird that showed up Tuesday at Oaksridge Golf Course was another matter, at least for Sue McMeekin of Satsop and Les Bell of Montesano.

The flightless bird, second in size among avians to the ostrich, followed the pair for seven of their nine holes, watching each swing and sometimes walking between them or standing directly in front of them. The emu seemed to take special interest in McMeekin's red fleece jacket.

"It was strange," McMeekin said. "She's awful big and she made me nervous."

Emus, natives of Australia, can grow to more than 5 feet and 100 pounds and are capable of running as fast as 30 mph.

Jeremy Behm, a golf course employee in this town between Olympia and Aberdeen, said he heard a strange sound as he was working in the pro shop around 6:30 a.m.

"I heard a noise and this crazy bird was standing right there," Behm said.

After hanging around the pro shop for a time, the emu began following McMeekin and Bell while Behm called the Grays Harbor County sheriff's office.

A deputy was dispatched but could not immediately determine where the emu belonged, but soon afterward the owner came from his home from across the street and rounded up the bird at about 10:30 a.m., Behm said.

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Information from: The Daily World, http://www.thedailyworld.com

That's funny. There are some emus here that get loose on occasion. I never knew what they were until I heard about them at work.

Hee hee! I have fed emus from my hand, at Parc Safari in Quebec years ago. They are less spectacularly colored than an ostrich, more dun-colored, but nonetheless large birdies! I can understand the golfer being intimidated.

Yeah I would be a little intimidated as well!!:eek:

http://www.australianfauna.com/images/emu.jpg

Could you imagine looking into this face???
http://www.jdmpics.com/animals/emu-2.jpg

I wonder what it was about the golfer's jacket that caught the emu's attention? Maybe it was the bright color, or maybe the fleece resembled feathers? Something made the emu look, though. But that it was owned by a private individual - shouldn't a bird like that be in a zoo?

No, people raise emus and ostriches for eggs and meat, as far as I know, and some - very few - as pets. They are not known to be the brightest bulbs on the avian tree - there was one at the San Diego Wild Animal Park that fell in love with the ranger's pick-up truck, and would stand in front of it doing her most seductive mating dance every time he drove in.

They can also be dangerous if provoked. Any bird that can eat beer bottle tops is not going to be hand fed by me!