Emu-gency at Essex Vet as visitors cause car park commotion
Unlikely visitors manage to ruffle feathers, but end up safe in local zoo
In an unexpected turn of events, Edgewood Vets near Maldon in Essex found themselves dealing with an unusual pair of visitors in their car park on Tuesday afternoon – two emus.
According to Nicola Watson, the manager at Edgewood Vets, the emus made their way into the vet's car park, initially strolling through the staff area before venturing into the client car park, where they caused a bit of a commotion.
While some clients were understandably startled, the veterinary staff took the situation in stride, focusing on ensuring the safety of both the clients and the emus.
"It was obviously a very different day for us yesterday. We're not used to having them walking through our sort of back garden and through our staff car park," said Watson.
"They kind of then went into our client car park where they kind of started terrorizing their clients a little bit."
Watson explained that the staff used simple but effective techniques to manage the situation and guide the emus to a safer location. "We basically just kind of shuttle them into the safer place. We used towels to kind of move them backward, just so that they were safe and just kind of kept calm," she said.
When asked about the unique veterinary skills required to handle such a situation, Watson emphasized the importance of maintaining a calm demeanor. "For us to do that, we needed to be in a calm sort of state of mind to kind of move them, and they kind of just moved quite gently, weren't startled or anything like that," she explained.
A member of the public reported a sighting in a wooded area near the vet's surgery, initially mistaking the emus for "ostriches." The individual, out walking their dog, rushed in, assuring the vet clinic that they hadn't been drinking and recounting a tale of being "terrified by these big ostriches in the woods."
Despite initial scepticism, the veterinary team went to investigate, only to find nothing at that time. Little did they know, the emus would reappear the next day in the vet's own garden,
As for the fate of the emus, Watson revealed that they have been taken to a petting zoo. The vet clinic had made efforts to locate the owners, but when none came forward, a local petting zoo stepped in to assist. "They put them in the trailer in the horse box trailer, got them safe, and then took them to the petting zoo. They had proper food for them, and they've got another emu of their own," said Watson.