A four-foot tall emu has been stolen from a farm, it’s owner has claimed.

Chris Kavanagh, owner of the Southern County Fishing Resort and Wildlife Park in Carlow is offering to a reward to anyone who comes forward with information about the valuable bird.

“The first thing I thought when I noticed it was missing was that it was stolen. They would never leave each other because they are very close,” he told independent.ie.

“I think it must have been a group of lads that got in here because they’re massive birds. They’re strong and fast so they must have had a serious job on their hands."

The missing emu is only a few months old and Kavanagh is concerned for its safety without its siblings. Emu’s are incredibly reliable on their families, according to Kavanagh.

They do not survive on their own as they get very depressed and they don’t eat, the pet farm owner said.

He added: “I don’t know what anybody would want an emu for other than value. They’re worth a lot of money”

Kavanagh put out an appeal on local radio station KCLR in the hope that someone may have seen the large bird in the area.

Now, since nobody has come forward he now plans to file a report of theft to gardai.

An emu is a large, flightless bird native to Australia. The missing emu is one of three siblings, which prove a huge attraction to visitors to the pet farm.

“People have suggested that it might have been a fox that got in, but a fox wouldn’t go near a bird like this. I definitely don’t think it got out and I definitely think a group of people must have come in through the fields at night.”

Anyone with information can email Chris at info@southerncounty.ie or call him on 0851449150.

Online Editors