Most Americans are used to the occasional stray dog or cat wandering through their neighborhoods.
But every once in a while, something a little more unique makes an appearance.
And a stray emu was found wandering through the suburbs of this major city and no one could figure out where it came from.
Another stray animal story has broken, but this time we don’t know where the animal bird came from.
It wasn’t the Liberty Insurance Emu
The famous Liberty Insurance commercials feature LiMu the Emu who has become a beloved corporate mascot.
He travels the nation with Doug pushing the insurance company on Americans in need.
The commercials are funny and memorable and LiMu has become their star.
But it wasn’t LiMu who was found wandering through the San Diego suburb of Vista recently.
Rather, in the San Diego suburbs it was some poor hurt emu who was found just wandering around helplessly on the streets.
The humane society doesn’t know where he came from or how he even got to Vista.
“The San Diego Humane Society said Humane Law Enforcement Officers and the Emergency Response Team responded Wednesday night to a report of a large bird wandering through a yard in Vista.
They arrived to find an emu with injuries to its neck and right wing.”
That made the mystery even stranger as no one can figure out how the wandering bird got hurt.
One would assume it got out of some exotic animal farm or petting zoo nearby.
But upon the bird being found, no owner had come forward to claim the bird or even report one missing.
Claudius is really Freddy
Six of the organization’s officers and emergency response team members arrived and, concerned for the bird’s safety, used orange plastic netting to guide the emu into a trailer.
The bird was then taken to the organization’s Escondido campus and was treated.
Veterinarians there noted the bird had suffered injuries to its neck and right wing.
The animal was placed in a fully-enclosed yard to be monitored by medical staff at the facility.
They have named it “Claudius” because, well, no real reason, and LiMu was already taken.
But it turns out Claudius wasn’t his real name.
And the owners of the bird finally got him back and ended his vagabond vacation.
The wandering emu is now back home after its foray into the front yard of a Vista house, San Diego Humane Society officials said.
Turns out that the bird’s real name is Freddy, and the flightless bird fled his home after fireworks had spooked him, San Diego Humane spokesperson Nina Thompson said.
Freddy’s return home to his owners and his emu girlfriend, Frankie came two days after someone first called to report that the emu was in their family’s yard.
Maybe the next time there are fireworks they will keep Freddy better contained.
One emu break out is enough.