WATCH: Elusive emu makes it back home after 2 years on the run

HENNING, Ill. (WCIA) – After almost two years on the run, the infamous Central Illinois emu has been caught and is back home.

The emu was part of a mob of emus that escaped in late July of 2022 after someone intentionally opened the gates at the farm to let both cows and emus escape. The cows stayed home but 11 emus took off into the Central Illinois jungle.

Over the last two years, the emu has gained a cult-like following with people routinely spotting it and reporting on its whereabouts as it traveled between Champaign and Vermilion County.

In 2023, the emu was spotted just off of I-74 . Illinois State Troopers had to intervene as the emu was endanger of crossing the road, and traffic was backing up in the area. The emu escaped arrest and outran troopers who tried to corral the bird.

The emu even made a stop by Gifford Grade School . Students got an up-close and personal view of it as it ran on by. The principal told WCIA at the time, “It made for an exciting last week of school for the kiddos”

Over the last few years of it’s flight across Central Illinois, emu sightings and reports were submitted to Meteorologist Jacob Dickey on Facebook who shared posts to the bewilderment of followers. It became a conversation point at the dinner table. If the emu hadn’t been sighted recently, people wondered what the Emu was up too and where it was at.

The emu survived bitter cold winter conditions and the hottest of summer days. But during the middle June heat wave, it made a stop by Matt and Brittany Goodner’s home in rural Henning. They noticed it seemed hot, so they put out a kiddie pool and some food for it to drink from.

The emu kept coming back for food. Cow panels and a cage were set up around the food, and finally on Wednesday evening, the gate closed on the emu.

We spoke to Matt and Brittany Goodner by messenger after they caught the bird. They had shared the progress and process for the covert operation.

“Emu Houdini is happily back home. Praying she is happy to be back with her kind. And she is on 40 acres so she can still feel free.”

To read more about how the emu was caught, you can read more about it on Meteorologist Jacob Dickey’s Facebook page .

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