Emus are our national bird and take pride of place with the kangaroo on our coat of arms.  They are our largest bird, second only to the Ostrich in the world and can range in height up to 2 metres and weigh up to 45 kilograms. Outside the cities especially in rural and remote Australia, emus are a common site as they roam free and can survive in extremes of temperatures.

Country singer John Williamson penned his famous infectious tribute Old Man Emu many years ago and it has become part of everyday culture. In the song he compares the emu to other animals and birds, focusing on its assets not what it can’t do — fly. I think this isn’t a bad philosophy to live by.

By nature, emus are curious creatures and aren’t shy in coming forward. If they want something, they will come at you quickly. Here are a few examples:

• Back in the 1980’s my husband was driving on a dirt road when an emu began running beside him. Initially, he thought nothing of it, then suddenly for no reason the emu suddenly turned and crashed into his car.
• In the 1990’s we were visiting Wagga Wagga Botanical Gardens talking to the kids about emus when one suddenly leaned over the fence and pecked my father’s red shirt. He wasn’t hurt but the kids thought it was very funny and have never forgotten it.
• In 2000’s we were visiting a private zoo in Tasmania where they had trained the emus. We joined a group of about 20-30 people to ride around the emu pen in an open truck and feed the emus. Everyone had a bag of feed and held it out in one hand. Then suddenly the scariest thing happened. All of the emus descended onto the truck eating the food from the white bags. All you could see was emu heads in your face. They were very delicate and didn’t hurt anyone but the noise between the screams and the emus was deafening. An experience I will never forget. Australia also has a big emu, Stanley who guards the highway just out of Lightening Ridge. If your driving past don’t forget to give him a wave.

https://www.inspiringmax.com/stanley-the-emu/

If you have any fun emu stories I would love to hear about them. Let me know about them  in the comments.