Hong Kong wildlife authorities have posted images of an escaped emu being brushed and eating fruit in their first public update on the large flightless bird under its care since May.
The Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department (AFCD) said on Wednesday it was still liaising with animal welfare organisations to find a new home for the creature.
In a Facebook post, the AFCD said the emu was currently being well taken care of at one of its animal management centres, where the bird has been kept since its capture.
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“My favourite thing is to have my feathers brushed by the carers and eat very tasty fruit,” the post, told from the emu’s point of view, said.
The social media post was accompanied by undated images showing the emu eating fruit and having its feathers brushed.
The update follows a report by the Post on Sunday that the bird had been under the department’s care for more than a month and that it was pending potential adoption arrangements by animal welfare organisations.
In May, the emu was spotted attempting to race motorists and strolling through a public housing estate in Tin Shui Wai.
The department said on Friday that no one had contacted it to reclaim the animal.
The Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA) previously said it would not handle the adoption arrangements for the bird, noting that it only rehomed common domestic pets while other creatures were handled by Kadoorie Farm and Botanic Garden or the department.
Kadoorie Farm and Botanic Garden also said on Friday it would not adopt “large pet birds like the emu”, adding that such animals were often bred on farms in mainland China and could not be considered as being removed from the wild.
A spokesman for Ocean Park, which has in the past rehomed a crocodile captured in Pat Heung, declined last Tuesday to comment and referred questions about the emu to the AFCD.
A source said at the time there was a low possibility that the emu would be sent to the park
In a reply to the Post last Friday, the AFCD said that stray animals taken in would in general be detained in its animal management centres for at least four days to allow owners to reclaim them.
But it did not respond to questions on whether the emu would be put down if it was not adopted or ruled unsuitable to go to a new home.
Animals found suitable for adoption would be rehomed through animal welfare organisations.
Emus are relatives of common ostriches and share a similar appearance, but are smaller in size and found in Australia rather than Africa.
The birds also boast a shorter wing span, with smaller necks covered in feathers and three toes per foot rather than two.
More from South China Morning Post:
- Bird in the hand a headache for Hong Kong authorities as they hunt for home for escapee emu
- Runaway emu will be found new Hong Kong home if owner not identified, government says
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