On Nov. 10, California Highway Patrol officers battled with an escaped emu in Browns Valley. Emu’s can weigh up to 80 pounds and have some of the strongest legs of any animal which are capable of kicking with lethal force. Photo courtesy of Mathias Appel

An escaped Browns Valley emu met its match on Nov. 10 when it went up against two California Highway Patrol Officers, Jessica Bonner and Kenneth Weckman. Officer Bonner, a California Ironman, was named Officer of the Year in 2023. Meanwhile, Officer Weckman earned his Medal of Valor and an Officer of the Year award in 2021. It was said that the emu put up a valiant fight, lacerating its owner's hand and causing minor injuries to one of the pursuing officers. In the end, they were able to wrangle the flightless bird with the help of the local fire department, "Lady with a Lasso" (Meighan DeArmond) and the emu’s owner.

The following story is a firsthand account of the incident from Officer Bonner. - Shamaya Sutton

There I was, patrolling my beat on a beautiful Sunday morning. I get dispatched to an 11-25 emu causing a hazard with near miss traffic collisions. I respond to the area. While en-route, I think to myself ‘What am I going to do with an emu?’

I Google ‘can an emu fly?’ Nope, that’s good, but they can leap six to seven feet *gulp* OK no biggie. Then I’m like, are they mean birds? So I google ‘are emus nice,’ and I find out they have a gnarly kick. Then I go through the pictures of an emu’s leg… holy smokes they are thick. Then I google ‘how much an emu weighs,’ 60-80 pounds…. OK, manageable.

I’m thinking this bird will be gone by the time I get on scene. Then behold I see the Emu on the road. I also see his friends in their enclosure.

So, I get out and try to guide it back to its home. I also see it’s got a minor cut to its neck. No luck in trying to get the bird back home by walking towards it, thinking it would leap back over the fence.

I inquire with Fish and Wildlife to see if they can tranquilize the bird for ease of return and to check out its neck. No luck. Animal control had no luck either. Weckman arrives on scene and he finds the owner. So now the three of us are trying to guide the birdy home. No luck.

So, the owner tries to grab it. This is where the emu began its rounds of fighting. The owner grabs it but can’t hold on. It’s like riding a bull but the emu’s kicking. So now we think if we can taser the emu and render it motionless for five seconds we can run to it, pick it up and put it over the fence….

Taser, taser, taser…. One connection and the emu’s hopping on one leg. This is when a lady with a lasso drives by and, bless her heart, stops to help. The taser didn’t work. We go another try and the owner grabs ahold of the emu for a ride and is able to hold on. Weckman and the lady with a lasso get one foot of the emu with the snare and the rope, but the left leg is under the bird.

The owner is getting jiggled around on the ground when the emu kicks trying to get away. So, the owner rolls over. I grab the right foot and start to reach for the left leg to grab ahold of the leg. Then the emu kicks. Hard. The owner is exhausted at this point and the emu had just the right angle he got the owner's hand with its talon. Pretty good laceration to his hand and he’s bleeding good. So I grab the owner and start treating him for his injuries. Barely missed my hand and just got my finger.

Fire and an ambulance get called out. Weckman and the lady with a lasso get the other leg with the snare and they are holding the emu down. We place a sweater over its eyes and now we’re trying to figure out how to get this bird to the property. It’s about a 50-yard walk.

Fire shows up on scene and we have a lightbulb moment. They have to have a tarp, and they do. So two Cal Fire officers, Weckman, lady with a lasso and myself place the bird in the tarp and carry it back to the property. The emu rips the tarp with its talons, but it makes the trek. We release the bird alive and breathing back with the owner on the property and thank everyone for their help.