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Authorities in Lincolnshire, England are reportedly having some trouble catching an escaped emu. One of the reasons for that is apparently because area residents keep chasing after it in their 4×4 vehicles.
According to a Facebook post shared by police in Lincolnshire, “There have been reports of an emu on the loose in the Spilsby area for a couple of weeks.”
They also explain that the National Exotics Animal Rescue Service (NEARS), which is a real thing that exists in Great Britain, “are at the scene and have advised that a specialist team has been drafted in to coordinate her capture.” They do not say from where the emu escaped.
“Experts have been trying to gain her trust by feeding her in the same spot for a while, however, efforts are being scuppered and staff and volunteers are concerned because members of the public have been chasing her in 4x4s,” the post continues.
“If she continues to be agitated in this way, there is a risk of her running into the path of oncoming vehicles causing harm to herself or others.
“Members of the public are being asked to allow NEARS to carry out their work and to not attempt to approach the emu.”
What is it with animals being on the loose that captures the public’s attention so much?
Feral hogs overrunning a town? Keep talking. Fugitive kangaroo on the run for six months? Tell us more. 43 monkeys on the loose? Hell yeah!
And who will ever forget the Great Llama Chase of 2015?
Based on some of the comments on the Lincolnshire police’s Facebook post, we may have some idea why an emu on the loose got some folks’ attention.
“You mean lampers chasing her, not just any ‘members of the public,’ she was actively hunted,” one person wrote. (By the way, a “lamper” is someone who illegally hunts animals at night-time with the aid of strong spotlights. They have also been referred to in the British press as the “thugs of the countryside.”)
“Yes, they were hunting her,” someone else on Facebook confirmed.