Officials: Emu Impounded At Hemet Area Ranch 'Definitely' A Pet

HEMET (CBSLA.com) — Is this your emu?

That's the question Riverside County Animal Services officers were asking Tuesday after one of the large birds roaming a five-acre ranch property near Jojoba Hills Circle and Soaring Hawk Road in the Aguanga area southeast of Hemet, authorities said.

The owner of the property confined the emu inside the fenced land and provided the five-foot bird food and water until help arrived, according to county officials.

Animal control officers were able to place the emu inside a trailer and transport him to the San Jacinto Valley Animal Campus in San Jacinto, where authorities say employees will care for the bird until the rightful owner shows up.

"We definitely believe the bird to be a pet," said Carra Mathewson, one of the officers that retrieved the emu. "He's definitely very tame. Someone owns him and somehow he got loose. Either that, or he was purposely abandoned.

"But we're hopeful that somehow the bird just managed to roam and the owner is out looking for him."

Anyone with information about the emu is asked to contact Riverside County Animal Services at (951) 358-7387.