ROOTING FOR THEM

And Now There’s a Pair of Emus on the Loose

They’re “feral” and running roughshod over Loris, South Carolina.

Hot on the tails of all those macaques who recently jailbroke themselves from a South Carolina research lab, several emus are now loose. “First monkeys and now an emu!” South Carolina Department of Natural Resources spokesperson Greg Lucas told The Sun News. “SC may be the new Florida!” But Sam Morace, the daughter of the purported owner, says it’s actually two emus, at least one of which has been on the lam in Loris for months. “They are feral and not trained like the ones we have at the house,” Morace wrote in a Facebook post, noting that the family is working with law enforcement to “get a tranquilizer approved so we can bring them home.” The website Emu Services describes the giant birds as “naturally inquisitive, friendly, and social” in demeanor, though they “might resort to a powerful kick as a defensive measure.” As such, it is probably best to leave the emus alone and let them do their thing. As Morace’s post notes, “if the emus were that easy to catch they would be home already.”