An emu seen wandering around a New Hampshire town that was caught last
week has been reunited with its owner – a Vermont farmer who lives more
than 80 miles away.
Kermit Blackwood, curator of Taft Hill Farm in West Townshend, Vt.,
called Maria Colby, who owns Wings of the Dawn, a wildlife
rehabilitation center in New Hampshire, to see if their emu, Beatrice,
might be there.
She said birds can recognize individuals they know, so they arranged to
have Blackwood and farm intern Daniel Lipschutz visit the emu, which was
spotted in Bow before it was caught and brought to the wildlife center
on Sept. 20.
Blackwood wore a jacket lined with silver fabric, which he typically
wears while milking cows at his farm, inside out in the hope that the
emu would recognize him.
When he approached the bird slowly, the emu rolled its neck toward Blackwood,
something it hadn’t done since arriving at the farm, Colby said.
In late July, a pack of coywolves attacked the emus at Taft Hill Farm.
Prior to the attack, there were six emus at the farm.
After the attack, Taft Hill Farm owner Robert DuGrenier said they found
the leg of one of the emus, a pile of feathers from another, and assumed
the remaining emus were missing or killed.
A pair of emus were caught in nearby communities, but Beatrice was still
nowhere to be seen.
It’s unclear how the emus escaped from the pasture near the farm’s sugar
shack where maple sugar is made every year. The emus have been at the
farm since 2004, and several have been born there.
DuGrenier says they eventually saw video of an emu in Bow. When no one
claimed the bird after a little while, they made arrangements to see it
at the wildlife center.
After Beatrice and Blackwood reconnected, Colby, her husband, Blackwood
and Lipschutz spent about 20 minutes trying to corral the bird to put
into a 2013 Toyota Prius.
A hand-woven wool sock was put over Beatrice’s head to keep her calm,
and she was also wrapped in a blanket.
DuGrenier says the seats were put back up with Beatrice in the back of
the Prius without the stocking over her head.
The flightless bird gave his owner a bit of a scare on the return ride
to the farm.
“On the drive home Beatrice decided she had had enough of the traveling
conditions and began to struggle violently, nearly heaving herself out
the window,” DuGrenier said.
Beatrice has now been reunited with her flock, DuGrenier added.
An emu seen wandering around a New Hampshire town that was caught last
week has been reunited with its owner – a Vermont farmer who lives more
than 80 miles away.
Kermit Blackwood, curator of Taft Hill Farm in West Townshend, Vt.,
called Maria Colby, who owns Wings of the Dawn, a wildlife
rehabilitation center in New Hampshire, to see if their emu, Beatrice,
might be there.
She said birds can recognize individuals they know, so they arranged to
have Blackwood and farm intern Daniel Lipschutz visit the emu, which was
spotted in Bow before it was caught and brought to the wildlife center
on Sept. 20.
Blackwood wore a jacket lined with silver fabric, which he typically
wears while milking cows at his farm, inside out in the hope that the
emu would recognize him. When he approached the bird slowly, the emu rolled its neck toward Blackwood,
something it hadn’t done since arriving at the farm, Colby said.
In late July, a pack of coywolves attacked the emus at Taft Hill Farm.
Prior to the attack, there were six emus at the farm.
After the attack, Taft Hill Farm owner Robert DuGrenier said they found
the leg of one of the emus, a pile of feathers from another, and assumed
the remaining emus were missing or killed. 
A pair of emus were caught in nearby communities, but Beatrice was still
nowhere to be seen.
It’s unclear how the emus escaped from the pasture near the farm’s sugar
shack where maple sugar is made every year. The emus have been at the
farm since 2004, and several have been born there.
DuGrenier says they eventually saw video of an emu in Bow. When no one
claimed the bird after a little while, they made arrangements to see it
at the wildlife center.
After Beatrice and Blackwood reconnected, Colby, her husband, Blackwood
and Lipschutz spent about 20 minutes trying to corral the bird to put
into a 2013 Toyota Prius. 
A hand-woven wool sock was put over Beatrice’s head to keep her calm,
and she was also wrapped in a blanket.
DuGrenier says the seats were put back up with Beatrice in the back of
the Prius without the stocking over her head.
The flightless bird gave his owner a bit of a scare on the return ride
to the farm.
“On the drive home Beatrice decided she had had enough of the traveling
conditions and began to struggle violently, nearly heaving herself out
the window,” DuGrenier said.
Beatrice has now been reunited with her flock, DuGrenier added.
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