Horry County emu catcher says trail of food helped bring escaped bird to safety
NICHOLS, S.C. (WBTW) — Six months after breaking free from its enclosure in northern Horry County, an emu is back home safe and sound.
William Hammond and his wife first spotted the bird on Nov. 15, but didn’t catch her until 10 days later.
“We came home, and she was back here again. So I drove out here, brought some food for her and threw it down and she came over,” he said. “I was like, ‘hmmm, she might follow the food.’”
The Hammonds own about 50 acres and spotted the bird on a piece of land across the street from their house.
“I took the food down and along the fence .. there’s a gate, and so I walked her down the fence line,” he said.
According to the Smithsonian Institution, emus can be up to six feet ball and weigh 120 pounds, with maximum running speeds of 30 mph.
