Rogue Emu Finally Captured In Upstate New York

In 1932, the Australian Military engaged a non-human enemy in one of the most infamous military campaigns of all time. The Great Emu War was an attempt to stop the large, flightless birds from stealing farmers crops.

Famously, the human Australian Military lost. To birds. On their home turf. Turns out they're still being a nuisance to this day.

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The Great Escape

At some point during the summer of 2024, an emu escaped its owner in Norwich, NY, just south of Utica. Over the following months, the bird kept popping up across Norwich and Chenango County, but no one could capture it.

In fact, just a quick social media search into the City of Norwich showed me that apparently everyone had seen this bird. Almost every post in the city over the past year and a half has been "just saw an emu outside" and "who's bird is this".

The (Less) Great Capture

Finally, on December 2nd, 2025, a multiple calls were made to Norwich police, claiming they had all seen an Emu running down Chenango Avenue. It eventually made its way a few streets down into a fenced-off yard, where officers, as well as the Emu's owner, were able to corner and capture it.

This is a relief for the citizens of Norwich, who believed that the bird could come running onto a road at any given moment, possibly causing a major accident. Luckily, the emu is safe and sound, no thanks to the dozens of agencies that refused to look for the bird as it was "too big".