Angry Emu Attacks Dog Walker & Other Great Animal Escapes

Emu Attack!

Last week, a dogwalker in Tennessee got the surprise of her life when she was attacked by an emu, the second-largest bird in the world. According to WKRN News, it was another typical morning in Mt. Juliet, Tennessee, when Ann Edwards stepped out of her house with her dog on Thursday, April 23rd.

Not long after leaving her house, Edwards heard her dog barking. As she told reporters, “When I saw him barking and looking behind me, my dog, I turned around, and I saw that thing, and I thought, ‘What in the world am I going to do?”

Even though Edwards had some pepper spray on her, the emu kept chasing her, and she fell, hurting her arm. Several construction workers who witnessed the incident ran over to shoo away the bird while they helped Edwards up. Even so, the emu continued to stand there, so the workers followed Edwards home.

A Bird Named Picasso

Neighbor Kadie Patterson also saw the emu. As she told reporters, “I saw an emu… come out of the woods and walk across to a house — it was in, like, their front yard — and I saw it, and I thought that was very odd.” Patterson quickly called 911 and Animal Control.

Animal Control transported the emu to its facilities, which the bird did not seem to enjoy. It turns out the emu is actually a female named Picasso. She managed to escape from her Mt. Juliet home through an open door latch, though she was picked up by animal control less than a mile away. Over the weekend, Picasso’s owner picked her up and brought her home.

Fat Cat Blues

A seemingly innocuous story from Kansas made national news after it was posted to social media. The pictures posted to Instagram by the Overland Park Police Department on March 21st quickly went viral, and for good reason. A fat, white, and ginger-colored cat was pictured stuck in a chair. It had an unmistakably shocked look on its face as emergency personnel attempted to rescue it. Officers and firefighters had to wear protective gloves and use a gaggle of tools—including a torch—to free the husky feline from its hiding place.

It seems that this now-famous cat was trying to avoid the boogey monster of every tranquil domestic pet’s existence: the veterinarian. As the OPPD said in a statement: “Well, here is a prime example of teamwork on a Saturday morning in [Overland Park]. This feline was caught in a mechanical reclining chair, desperately trying to escape its owner for a vet visit.” 

Unfortunately for the cat, emergency personnel were able to free it from its hiding place. Later, it arrived at the vet for its annual checkup, the statement added.

Goat On the Run

A few days ago, a goat escaped and went on a minor rampage in a village in Wiltshire, United Kingdom. Last Thursday, eyewitnesses spotted the goat wandering around Upper Seagry, near Chippenham. People who saw the goat out of its element told the BBC that it chose mischief that day. First, it was seen chasing a woman around the village. It also tried to eat oranges from a Christmas wreath on someone’s front door.

Get Your Lasso

Naturally, people called the police to come and deal with the runaway goat. When they arrived, the goat tried to eat some safety equipment out of the police car. In a video of the incident, the officers can be heard chastising the goat. One of them said, “Apparently, it’s not very nice. We’ve got it on a tow line, we’ve got some [riot] shields because he’s trying to butt my head.”

The police managed to get a lasso on the goat, but it briefly slipped out of its restraint before being recaptured and taken home. As a Wiltshire Police spokesperson explained, the mischievous goat was dealt with safely and effectively. He told reporters, “PC Ferris and PC Miller, from Chippenham Response, swiftly responded, controlled the situation, and returned the goat to his owner.”

Hitchhiker

A day or so later, a baby seal was found wandering along a highway on the southern Oregon coast. Last Saturday, state police deputies located the young seal near milepost 146 of Highway 101 in Newport, Oregon. It was still on the shoulder of the highway when emergency personnel arrived. Before it could cross the highway and further endanger itself, police secured it with a rope.

Down the 101

Once the seal was secure and safe from any speeding cars on the highway, the police called in an expert. An Oregon Coast Aquarium staffer came to the scene to help the police figure out what to do. Ultimately, the seal made it home. The Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office credited community members, the Oregon Coast Aquarium, and the Oregon State Police for helping the stranded seal get back to the beach. The county also warned residents to keep their eyes peeled for any other animals they might see on the highway.

Can’t Find Santa’s Sleigh

It must have been that kind of weekend because other animals got loose and were corralled as well in other parts of the country. In Southern California’s San Fernando Valley, two reindeer briefly held up traffic on the 5 Freeway—just in time for Christmas.

According to KTLA news, Newhall Area units of the California Highway Patrol got several calls early in the morning about two animals on the highway. They arrived and conducted a traffic break, only to find two reindeer trotting through the southbound lanes. It seems that L.A. Animal Services, along with Caltrans crews and a good Samaritan, were eventually able to corral the two reindeer.

On Dasher, On Dancer

Emergency personnel transported the two animals to the West Valley Animal Services Center in Chatsworth. There, the staff examined and cared for them before releasing the runaway pair back to their owner. Apparently, the two reindeer, named Cookie and Noel, had escaped from their owner’s transport trailer earlier that morning. In a statement, Los Angeles Animal Services said, “Cookie and Noel are doing well and ready for their important Christmas Eve duties.”

Upstate Crocodiles

Two crocodiles were discovered way out of their element a few days ago after police found them during a routine bust in Yonkers, Westchester County, New York state. According to the New York Post, the crocodiles were discovered crawling around a house on December 10th during an unrelated arrest. They were a Morelet’s crocodile from Central America and a smooth-front caiman native to the Amazon rainforest.

Long Way From Home

Not entirely sure what to do with two crocodiles, the emergency personnel called in an expert. Enter Mark Perpetua, a renowned wildlife expert well-equipped to deal with these kinds of situations. He told the New York Post that the Morelet is usually found in Mexico, Belize, or Guatemala, and can grow up to nine feet long. The smaller one, the caiman, can grow to about five feet long. He also said, “[caiman] are native to the Amazon and Orinoco river basins in South America. All 27 species of crocodilians require a special license to keep in NY.”

While the police did not respond to a request for comment regarding the croc situation, Perpetua updated the press a few days later. The confiscated crocs were safe and sound in his care. He wrote, “The two little crocodilians confiscated in Yonkers came today. They both look healthy, although the croc has a few marks and is missing half its tail.”

Bobcat Bounce

In something of a reverse escape, a bobcat attempted to make a break for a Michigan prison last week. As reported by various media outlets, a bobcat managed to breach the prison gates of the Chippewa Correctional Facility around 2 p.m. on December 16th. Not long after, the Michigan Department of Corrections shared a photo on Facebook of the bobcat in question hanging out atop the fence surrounding the prison’s grounds.

As the Department of Corrections Facebook post explained, the bobcat made quite a showing. Its photo caption read, “Staff report the bobcat jumped out of the wire, ran around the perimeter, up a maple tree, and hung out for an hour. Then he jumped down and ran around the parking lot, where staff, with the help of Michigan Department of Natural Resources, were finally able to corral him off the grounds.”

Prison Break(in)

Bobcats may be pretty elusive creatures, especially in places where their numbers have dwindled, like Michigan. That makes this daytime spotting of one just hanging out on a prison fence all the more exciting. As the Michigan United Conservation Clubs explained, bobcats usually stay out of sight by hiding in forests, swamps, and brushlands. Its website suggested this sighting was so special because people can go their whole lives without ever seeing a bobcat. This one hung around for a while in the middle of the day.

Presumably, the bobcat got one look inside the prison’s perimeter and realized it would rather keep its freedom. The Michigan Department of Corrections affirmed this notion. Its Facebook post said, “He is now back into the forest to enjoy the snowy day!”

Suburban Safari

In perhaps the most viral story of animals needing corraling this year, a zebra escaped its confines and wandered around Tennessee for several days. As reported in several media outlets, a zebra escaped from its new owner’s home in Rutherford County on May 31st. The zebra spent a week on the loose, being spotted around town by residents in the interim. He was seen running through suburban neighborhoods and even on the highway. Despite all of these sightings, no one could catch him for days. The search finally came to an end on June 8th when the zebra was captured by aviation crews.

Ed the Zebra

The Rutherford County Sheriff’s Office reported via a statement on Facebook on a successful recapture of the zebra. His name, it turned out, was Ed. The post explained, “Rutherford County Sheriff’s Office [RCSO] is happy to report Tango 82 aviation crews located Zebra Ed and returned him to his owner Sunday.”

Thanks to several candid shots and a final video of Ed in a net being hoisted in the air by a helicopter, the story easily went viral. Ed was eventually returned to his owner but became a celebrity in the process. Zebras are legal to own in Tennessee because they are considered Class III animals, which do not require a state wildlife permit, though local zoning laws may still apply.