The Surrey Animal Resource Centre has welcomed its newest guest, and it could be a first for the facility.
Good Samaritans brought in a baby emu Thursday night.
“I’ve been in the sheltering industry 20 years and I’ve never seen an emu come into the shelter before,” manager Shelley Joaquin told Global News.
“He’s definitely adorable and definitely needs a special place to go.”
According to Joaquin, the jumbo-sized chick, which is only about two weeks old, was found “out loose wandering around.”
It took the people who spotted it three days to actually catch the bird, Joaqiun said, adding they were able to use a net to contain it after they cornered it in a back yard.
“Unfortunately with a lot of exotics, it sounds pretty cool to have one but a lot of people don’t do the research,” she said.
“A lot of times they’re coming in in not the greatest condition. People don’t understand housing, or diet or nutrition, so although they’re beautiful and we can admire them, they don’t make the average pet.”
The bird will not be put up for adoption, as emus are prohibited in the City of Surrey.
Instead, it will be placed in a rescue environment where it can be with other emus.