Elusive emu captured after 2 years on the run

HENNING, Ill. (WCIA) – After nearly two years on the run, central Illinois’ infamous emu has been captured and is back home.

The emu was part of a herd of emus that escaped in late July 2022 after someone intentionally opened the farm gates to let the cows and emus escape. The cows stayed home, but 11 emus escaped into the jungle in central Illinois.

READ: Emus on the run in Danville (original 2022 story)

Over the past two years, the emu has gained a cult following, with people regularly spotting it and reporting its whereabouts as it travels between Champaign and Vermilion County.

In 2023, the emu was spotted just off I-74. Illinois State Troopers had to intervene because the emu was in danger of crossing the road and traffic was backed up in the area. The emu evaded arrest and outran the officers who were trying to capture it.

READ: Elusive emu eludes police on I-74 outside Urbana

The Emu even made a stop at Gifford Elementary School. Students were able to see it up close and personal as it passed by. The principal told WCIA at the time, “It made for an exciting last week of school for the kids.”

READ: Elusive emu appears in Gifford, visits elementary school

In the last few years of its flight over central Illinois, emu sightings and reports were submitted to meteorologist Jacob Dickey on Facebook, who shared the posts to the amazement of followers. It became a topic of dinner table conversation. If the emu hadn’t been spotted recently, people would wonder what the emu was doing and where it was.

The emu survived the freezing winter conditions and the hottest summer days. But during the mid-June heatwave, he stopped by Matt and Brittany Goodner’s home in Rural Henning. They noticed it was hot, so they set up a wading pool and food for him to drink.

The emu kept coming back to feed. Cow panels and a cage were set up around the feed, and finally, on Wednesday night, the gate closed on the emu.

We spoke to Matt and Brittany Goodner via text message after they captured the bird. They gave us an update on the progress and how the covert operation is going.

“Emu Houdini is back home. I pray she is happy to be back among her own kind. And she lives on 100 acres so she can still feel free.”

To learn more about how the emu was captured, you can read more on meteorologist Jacob Dickey’s Facebook page.

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