Emus are native to Australia, not Alberta — what was one doing on the loose near DeWinton?
Keith, an exotic bird found wandering through the Foothills, will get to live with others of his kind thanks to Cobb's Exotic Animal Rescue in Calgary.
The emu, spotted the morning of June 19 by several people, was roaming near Red Deer Lake School before he was captured.
The bird, which had been walking by the highway with a slight limp, was wrangled and put in a trailer for his own safety before being picked up by the Alberta Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals.
"The Alberta SPCA gave me a call... they knew we had emus and asked what vet we use and then asked if we would house them for a little bit, just until the owners came forward," said Rianna Smyth, manager of Cobb's Exotic Animal Rescue.
"For us it was an easy answer, because we had the space and we're familiar with emus. So we said yes, and a week or so later they came back and nobody had came for it, so they ended up gifting it to us."
The enigmatic emu raised questions when it was found — what was it doing on the loose near DeWinton, with there being no information on emu owners, farms or hobbyists in the vicinity? Why did no owner, or anybody with knowledge of the large exotic animal, report it missing or come forward with any information?
"It's somewhat of a mystery for everyone here," said Smyth, who named the emu Keith. "Lots of people will use them to protect their property, and so maybe they had him and a few others protecting property or other animals, and then he snuck out."
Emus, the second-tallest living birds after ostriches, can reach around six feet tall and weigh up to 130 pounds, and are armed with sharp claws.
"Sometimes people have them as pets. Obviously, if it's a pet, chances are someone would have come forward if they were missing it," said Smyth.
"If the previous owner came back, we'd have to decide if we could verify that this was theirs, but for now, he is a permanent resident. Nobody's come forward, and the SPCA has basically said that they probably won't."
No information is available online regarding domestic emus in Foothills County and surrounding area, though emu farming is widespread in Alberta and other parts of the country. Outside of urban areas, no licence or permit is needed to own or breed emus in Canada.
Keith seems to be doing well in his new home at Cobb's Exotic Animal Rescue, which is home to nine emus in total — due to Keith's limp, he is being treated before being introduced to the others.
"I'll probably be mixing him in with the others next week," said Smyth. "They're posted on each side of the fence together and he's started making little friends through the fence."
When he's recovered from his injury and joined the rest of the emus, Keith will have plenty of space to run around and socialize.
"We make sure that they have different toys and stuff like that so they can entertainment themselves," said Smyth. "Super smart animals, they're very curious."
Cobb's Exotic Animal Rescue, part of Cobb's Adventure Park in the northeast end of Calgary, is home to dozens of exotic animals including kangaroos, wallabies and numerous reptile species.
