De Soto Police are seeking the owner of an emu found running loose in the city over the weekend.
Capt. Jeff Wynn said the De Soto Police Department got a call at about 11:10 a.m. Sept. 25 about the large flightless bird wandering free.
“A man called it in, just somebody who spotted it in the 200 block of South Third Street,” he said. “It ran to Main Street. It went all over the center of town, really.”
Eventually, De Soto Police and the city’s Animal Control officer safely captured the emu, Wynn said.
“It was contained in the back yard of a residence on North Fourth Street at approximately 12:45 p.m.,” he said.
Later the emu was taken to an area petting zoo to be cared for, Wynn said.
He said Tuesday that De Soto Police still didn’t know where the emu came from or who owns it.
“If someone is missing an emu, they can contact us,” Wynn said.
He said the emu did not necessarily pose a danger to the public, but could have attacked someone if it had been provoked.
“Emus are relatively docile,” Wynn said. “But, any animal feeling threatened may defend itself.”
He said the emu may have gotten loose from somewhere outside the De Soto city limits.
“They’re not allowed in city limits,” Wynn said. “It could have come in from somewhere outside of the city.”
To claim the emu, call De Soto Police at 636-586-8891.