I’m getting giggles over stories of escaped wildlife pets the last couple of weeks. Just a week ago, there was a pet kangaroo that got out in Sparta, Tennessee. Now, it’s an emu.
Harriman, Tennessee saw a lot of excitement last Wednesday as multiple police officers were called out for a hot pursuit. Ok, it was a slow pursuit, as in a 20 mph chase of an escaped emu.
MeeMoo somehow jumped over a seven-foot fence on his farm where he lives with his owner, Harry McKinney. MeeMoo was hatched at McKinney’s farm when a local hatchery’s incubator broke down. He lives on 40 acres with sheep, turkeys, ducks and a variety of other farm animals. Life seems good on the McKinney farm. Lots of space and friends, even a girlfriend, MeeMee and babies on the way.
Four police cruisers finally cornered MeeMoo near a home with hedges, and his human, McKinney, was called in to bring him in and home. McKinney said he just whistled at him and MeeMoo knew his dad was there and he just gave him a big hug of relief.
“For us, he’s like a dog,” McKinney said. “But for people that had never seen any emus before, it was a T-Rex coming down the sidewalk at them.”
The search apparently went on for seven hours and covered 20 miles.
MeeMoo is now safely back home with MeeMee and their eggs.
You can check out more of the story here, from ABC News
