In unrelated news about the election: an off-course emu was captured by Pleasanton animal services Friday — lassoed in front of a suburban lawn — and its owner still appears MIA.
Meanwhile, in the East Bay’s evolving avian epic — which has seen a belligerent turkey named Gerald cause mayhem at Morcom Rose Garden and this screeching peacock pit North Oakland neighborhoods against one another — a lost emu was rescued Friday afternoon after Pleasanton Police Department received the unexpected animal rescue call.
Talk about an EMU-gency in #Pleasanton! 🚨 Today, Animal Services Officer Frankie Ayers and CSO Amy Martin successfully lassoed a wandering emu and kept it calm. The emu is in safe hands waiting to be re-connected with its rightful owner at the @ACSOSheriffs shelter. pic.twitter.com/ZiSvObjZMR
— Pleasanton PD (@pleasantonpd) November 6, 2020
According to SFGate, the "EMU-gency" was resolved after Pleasanton Animal Services employees Frankie Ayers and Amy Martin were called to wrangle the towering flightless bird; the pair was selected "specifically for their experience growing up on farms."
Though despite being able to sprint across Australian grasslands at 30-plus mph, the domesticated bird appeared tranquil as Ayers and Martin fastened a lasso around its feet — "cowboy style."
The prehistoric bird (with three forward-facing, prehistoric-like toes) is currently at the Alameda County animal shelter, awaiting its owner to come forth and pick it up.
So... yeah... if you know someone who misplaced a hundred-ish pound bird, tell them to give the shelter a ring at (510) 337-8565.
Much like the rogue arboreal reptile — a panther chameleon— that was rescued by the Peninsula Humane Society Wednesday, emus are oviparous, meaning they lay eggs that are later hatched by the parent(s).
Related: Oakland Residents Divided On Saving/Euthanizing Aggressive Wild Turkey In Rose Garden
Image: Courtesy of Facebook via Pleasanton Police Department