Loose emus Thelma and Louise may be down to just Thelma after one of the emus reportedly met an untimely death.
A pair of “feral” emus have been running around the Loris area since the summer when they escaped their enclosure in Green Sea, owner Sam Morace said in a Facebook post. On Sunday, Morace said one of the emus was shot.
It hasn’t been confirmed if the bird is dead, but multiple people told Morace that they heard that someone shot the bird, she told The Sun News on Facebook Messenger. She also said people have threatened to shoot and eat them for Thanksgiving.
If you have any information about the emus, reach out to Morace or Horry County Police.
The Sun News contacted Horry County Police and the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources about the emus but did not hear back before publication.
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News about the emus broke in mid-November after someone posted on a Loris Facebook group asking if anyone knew about an emu running around the area. After The Sun News published an article, the story continued to gain attention, with national news organizations like CBS News and People picking up the story.
Morace’s father is the true owner of the emus. It has been difficult to catch them as the birds are feral and he’s currently dealing with prostate cancer, according to a GoFundMe. Horry County Police have been in contact with the owners about the emus, but the birds have not been caught, according to the agency.
Emus are a flightless bird from Australia that can grow to over 5 feet tall, according to the Smithsonian. They can live in forests and woodlands and mostly feed on fruit, flowers, seeds and young tree shoots.
It’s unclear if it’s illegal to hunt an emu. South Carolina hunting regulations say it’s illegal to hunt a “non-game bird” but does not explicitly list emu as a non-game bird.
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