SUSSEX COUNTY, De. -- On Wednesday, An Emu named Liberty, or Libby for short, escaped from her enclosure near Frankford, Delaware. Libby's owner has gotten multiple reports of sightings, but so far, no luck.
Stevie Jewell is desperately trying to find her lost Emu, which she has raised from a chick into a five-foot-tall bird.
Jewell's son, whom she asked us not to name, hopes his best friend will come home soon.
"I would like, pick her up and give her some hugs, she was just one of my favorite animals," said Jewell's son.
For the past few months, Libby has been staying with a friend of Stevie's. She was safe and sound in her pen until Wednesday.
The person temporarily watching Libby did not want to go on camera on Thursday but told us the bird escaped sometime on Wednesday afternoon. Libby squeezed through a tiny hole at the bottom of her pen, made her way out onto the property and is now roaming around Sussex County.
Multiple sightings have been reported to Stevie around Peanut Tingle Road near Frankford, not far from where Libby got out. So, Stevie is holding out hope.
"She's probably just looking for food, best case scenario she hears my voice and just comes up running," said Jewell.
If someone on Delmarva happens to spot Libby, please do not chase her or try to capture her. For one thing, you are not going to catch her.
"They're very fast, they can run up to 35 miles per hour," said Zach Bova at Coastal Wilds.
Number two, when emus are stressed, they can suffer from exertion myopathy, a syndrome Stacey Hofmann with the Delaware Department of Agriculture said can put Libby's life in danger.
"Lactic acid builds up and then it starts to destroy the muscles in the animal," said Hofmann. "So it shuts down parts of their body and so we don't want that to happen to Liberty at all."
Not only are tips being reported to Jewell, but officials with Delaware's Department of Agriculture are urging anyone who sees Libby to contact them so they can help bring the bird home.
