Runaway emu braves rain to go to mall
Bird flees farm, saunters down a Herzliya highway, and is finally captured near shopping center
An emu took a casual stroll down a rainy highway in Herzliya on Sunday, before it was captured near a mall in the central Israel city.
The large flightless bird likely ran away from a nearby farm, reports said.
It was taken by municipality workers to a nearby pound, and subsequently returned to its owners.
The emu, which was described in an Israel radio report as “alarmed,” was apprehended near the Shivat HaKochavim shopping center in Herzliya.
A video of the emu’s capture posted on the Ynet news site showed city workers violently tackling the bird and grabbing at its neck as it attempted to flee.
The incident on Sunday came several days after three rhinoceroses slipped out of a side gate at the Ramat Gan Safari and made a doomed dash for freedom.
The trio, named Rihanna, Keren Peles and Karnivala, plodded into the street where they were spotted by astonished joggers out for a morning run. The safari explained that a keeper had dozed off for a few minutes and the three seized the opportunity to make their escape. Ramat Gan Safari director Yehuda Bar saved the day by leading the beasts back to safety.
אמו – ציפור אוסטרלית ממשפחת היענאים נתפס ליד קניון שבעת הכוכבים בהרצליה. נראה שברח מחווה סמוכה. "ססאמו.. נתפסתי". pic.twitter.com/GP5zzVX3Ub
— Guy Cotev גיא קוטב (@guycotev) January 4, 2015
