In the Wild...

The emu has lived on the grassy plains and in open forests of Australia for over 80 million years.

Their numbers are widespread on the mainland of Australia and growing due to artificial watering points for cattle and sheep.

The emu is the largest bird inhabiting Australia. They reach 5.7 feet tall and 110-120 pounds in weight, with the females averaging 10 pounds heavier than the males. They are a flightless bird, with wings only 1/10th the length of their body. They are brown in color, with new feathers appearing almost black and fading to a pale brown with age. the skin on the head and neck is often free of feathers and has a bluish tinge. Sexes are similar in plumage except the period prior to egg-laying, when the female's head and neck are covered in black hair-like feathers.

The emu is a very fast runner, reaching speeds of up to 40 mph in short bursts, with strides of up to nine feet. They are also excellent swimmers. Their bill is broad and soft, well adapted to grazing. They eat fruits, flowers, insects, seeds and green vegetation - they love caterpillars. They make two basic sounds, a guttural grunt and a drumming noise.

The nest is a shallow depression next to a bush made with leaves, grass and bark. They usually breed from May through August. One male may have several hens, he incubates the eggs and raises the young. Each hen lays 9 to 12 eggs, each weighing 1 to 1 and 1/2 pounds and having a dark, blue-green, almost black color. In a good season, a clutch that a male sits on may exceed 20 eggs. When the chicks hatch, they are 6 to 8 inches tall, cream in color with dark brown stripes. The male protects the chicks and stays with them for 18 months. If the chicks are raised away from the father, they do not know how or what to eat. Their life span is 5 to 10 years in the wild, longer in captivity.

NEDDIE

Neddie is an emu that was obtained by a family in Stuart, Florida as a pet. A young emu is an adorable animal, but they grow to be 120 pounds and can become aggressive. As Neddie grew, their youngest daughter became wary of playing in the back yard with this "big bird". Every time she would run, Neddie would run too, and she felt like he was chasing her.

The eventually decided to find another home for their emu when he started to tear up their landscaping as fast as they could replace it. He is now happily housed, along with several other emu at our refuge - and he is one of the nicest ones that we have.

BUD

Bud was purchased by a man in central Florida in a plan to breed emus as 'the meat of the future'. Many people were planning to get rich like this - it failed. There was no market for the meat and now there is no market for the birds. They grow to be very large and they have the potential to use their incredibly powerful legs to kick very hard. This particular man was looking for a home for his emus since he couldn't sell them.

In February, 1999, he contacted us. We now have gun in a three acre pen with plenty of room to run. They lay beautiful dark turquoise-colored eggs which we plan to decorate and sell in our gift shop.

CURLEY SUE

Curly Sue is an emu that came to our sanctuary in much the same manner as many other emus.  Since the downfall of the emu trade, many would-be emu farmers wound up with animals that had no value to them as farm animals. With nowhere to turn, many of these farmers released their birds to run free in rural Florida.  Still others sold them as “pets” – which very seldom turns out as well as the unsuspecting purchaser expects.  They grow from beautiful, fuzzy babies into 80-lb, difficult to handle birds. Curly Sue is our friendliest emu, with a simple pet on the back, she will lie down and expect you to pet her all day long!   Of course, emus are not too bright – they will eat anything (even their shadow!)…but we love them anyway!