A famous emu that had been on the run for months in North Carolina was located at last, but died when animal control officers attempted to capture it.
Eno, a name given to the bird by Orange County Animal Services, had been spotted around the county outside people’s homes all summer.
Animal control would get frequent calls about the bird, the county said, but officers were never able to respond in time to catch it.
“We had hoped for a better outcome,” said Orange County Animal Services Director Bob Marotto of Eno’s eventual demise.
Animal control officers had fed and cared for the bird from a distance since June, but decided this week it needed to be taken out of the wild for the safety of nearby residents and drivers.
The department consulted experts such a zoologists and veterinarians as they formulated a plan to wrangle the bird, which can run up to 30 mph.
The scheme “involved sedating the bird to make it easy to transport it. The bird did not respond to the low dose of sedatives,” the county said.
During the struggle, the animal “suffered an event” the department said, and died.
“Everyone is devastated,” Marotto said. “We didn’t feel leaving it alone was a viable option.”
