'Not emu-sed': Feral and untrained emus Thelma and Louise on the run in South Carolina
Two Australian birds have been added to the list of exotic animals South Carolina officials are currently working to track down, following the recent escape of 43 monkeys from a primate research facility Alpha Genesis a couple weeks ago.
The runaway emus, named Thelma and Louise, escaped from their home in Loris, a city about 100 miles northeast of Charleston about three months ago, owner Sam Morace told CBS News on Friday. Thelma and Louise, according to Morace, are still at large.
The Horry County Police Department is aware of the recent sightings circulating on social media, writing in a Facebook post Wednesday "we are not emu-sed." The missing birds have been spotted in Green Sea, an unincorporated area near Loris, the agency said.
"The department is aware of the reported emus and we have made contact with the owner. We are working to aid the owner in the effort to locate and capture the animals," the post said. "There is no risk to the community associated with the emus at this time."
Effort to recapture dozens of monkeys continues
News of Thelma and Louise's great escape comes after authorities in the small town of Yemassee, about 60 miles west of Charleston, continue to work to recapture all of the female Rhesus monkeys who made a mad dash after a caretaker at the research facility failed to lock the doors after a feeding on Wednesday, Nov. 6. Thirty-two of the 43 escaped monkeys have been recaptured, leaving 11 at large.
Paste BN reached out to Horris County Police Department for further comment but did immediately receive a response on Friday.
Runaway emus are 'feral and not trained,' owner says
A couple hours before Horry County police officials wrote about Thelma and Louise, Morace drafted a message in a local Facebook group, confirming the loose emus people have been seeing around town belonged to her.
"They are feral and not trained like the ones we have at the house," Morace wrote. "Local law enforcement has already been at my house, we are trying to get a tranquilizer approved so we can bring them home."
Morace thanked everyone for their questions and concerns but noted that if "emus were that easy to catch they would be home already." A number of community members offered criticism, suggestions and even well wishes to Morace about her runaway emu situation.
The large, flightless creatures are the second-largest living bird, with an average height of more than 5 1/2 feet, according to the Smithsonian's National Zoo. Females, like the ones that escaped in South Carolina, can weigh more than 130 pounds, the zoo said. They are typically found in Australia are not native to the United States.
"They decided they wanted to hop the fence when we were trying to grab one of them to move her to another paddock and well she didn't like that," Morace said in a statement obtained by CBS News. "So she living the wild life, well both of them are."