Discussion: Emu Alert

This advice was found in the event booklet for Bushranger '09, one of the pre-World Masters Games events in Australia. It is too funny not to share it with the rest of the world.
" Mr. Frost, the owner of the land we are using for car parking has strongly advised that all car owners, when they park and before they leave the vehicle, wind all windows up and remove car keys.
Emus have access to the car parking area and are attracted to open car windows and items left on seats, including keys. The alternative could be to work out which emu has your keys, follow it around until it - you know, and then retrieve your keys. The choice is yours."

Laugh, but believe it.

Emus can sprint at 50km/h, and can run for long distances at lesser speeds, so you might have a hard job following them.

It is true that they will probably swallow your keys, as they often eat pebbles and stones to aid their digestion of pretty tough seeds - sort of like an internal flour mill.

How you would tell which one took your keys, I don't know - they all look pretty much alike.

Stories abound about emu attacks on humans, but most are just that - stories. They are pretty big though, and their toes look vicious. On the other hand, their meat is quite good.

Invisible, is it an emu farm, or are they wild ones that just jump the fence from the forest into the paddock?

Hey, at least you'll only lose your keys. If it was across the pond you could lose your tyres too.

Simmo - it's easy to tell which one took your keys. Chances are it'll be the one driving away with your car and laughing hysterically.

One of the beast in question at the assembly area. Emus are definately acquisitive and fast. I remember the tame emus at a local wildlife park some years ago. They would sneak up behind you, dart head over your shoulder, rip sandwich from your hand and then turn and run with a full mouth. You had no hope of getting anything back. Keys will be no problem at all.
Is it an emu farm? well, not quite sure. it might have been once, but it looks pretty low-key now.
As for the meat, I can take iit or leave it. Much prefer the other side of the coat of arms.... kangaroo. All visitors to our land are advised to have a meal of skippy.

From Wildlife

what's that on the far side of the fence?

"He can't fly but I'm telling you, he can run the pants off a kangaroo!"
(Rolf Harris: Old Man Emu; complete with wobbleboard)

John Williamson actually Jen. Can't blame you for the blooper, as it was written in 1970 (5 yrs BJ - before Jen).

According to the Skippy doco on ABC tv tonight, they had an emu that appeared in a few episodes. They'd give it some whisky, and then shoot the scenes an hour or so later when it was starting to sober up, but still groggy enough not to run away. So, if you don't want to lose your keys at the Oz Champs - keep a hip flask handy.

Oops. My ignorance has been exposed. What I really want to know is, which of the organisers found out the hard way that emus do take your keys? (And they can definitely kick - Paul Hoopmann and Chris Franklin were chased by an emu in the night at the World Champs rogaine in 1996, and Chris had the scratches on the back of her Goretex raincoat to prove that it attacked her!)