Escaped emus spotted in Seymour

Emu (Dromaios novaehollandiae), Dromaiidae, South Australia. Emu (Dromaios novaehollandiae), Dromaiidae, South Australia. Photo: DeAgostini /Getty Images / Contributed Photo Photo: DeAgostini /Getty Images / Contributed Photo Image 1 of / 3 Caption Close Escaped emus spotted in Seymour 1 / 3 Back to Gallery

Two emus are on the lam after getting sprung by a porcine accomplice — and the large, flightless birds are thought to be on the run near the edge of the Naugatuck Valley.

“We have two emus on the loose, roaming the streets of Seymour,” Deputy Police Chief Paul Satkowski said Thursday. “At least one was seen on Skokorat Street.“

The emus escaped Tuesday night from a farm in nearby Woodbridge.

“I have one potbelly pig that cuddles with all the animals, and he opened the stall door with the emus,” said Woozie Wikfors, owner of WalkingWood farm. “The pig goes where it wants to go.”

Wikfors said she was able to get two escaped emus back in the stall, but two others fled the farm, which also houses llamas, alpacas, quails and other animals.

“I’m extremely worried for their safety,” Wikfors said. “I’ve been chasing them down since Tuesday.“

Wikfors got her first emu — The national bird of Australia — a number of years ago, as a birthday present. She now has 11 of them, and sells their eggs.

Emus are the second-largest member of the “ratite“ group of flightless birds, according to Emufacts.com. They were originally imported to the United States as breeding stock for American zoos. It is believed that the emu is a survivor of prehistoric times and dates back some 80 million years to when it first roamed the Australian Outback.

Emus adapt well to temperature extremes from 100-plus degrees to below zero, and they can go a long time without eating.

“I came to love them,” Wikfors said.

Her missing 6-foot, 130-140 pound birds are probably somewhere between Seymour, Bethany and Beacon Falls, she said.

And if you happen to run into one of the birds?

“Call the cops or animal control,“ said Wikfors. “They are not dangerous, but if mishandled, they could be.”