When Emus Invade
The large, flightless birds have taken over an Australian town, and they're hungry.
The newest arrivals in Longreach, Australia, are making themselves right at home. The catch? They鈥檙e emus. The large, flightless birds are taking over the Queensland town: walking down the sidewalk, crossing the road, drinking from puddles, hanging out with their little ones outside coffee shops, and lounging outside people鈥檚 front gates, nibbling at the bushes.
The birds, seemingly unfazed by their new human neighbors (and their cars), are in search of food, such as seeds, grass and insects. A recent drought has forced the creatures from their normal brush habitat into the town. This isn鈥檛 the first time they鈥檝e strutted down residential sidewalks, but it鈥檚 by far the largest influx of the flightless birds, and they鈥檙e traveling farther into the center of Longreach than ever before.
Emus aren鈥檛 the only ones being affected by droughts. Another flightless Australian bird found in North East Queensland, , is being pushed by droughts and deforestation into coming in contact with humans. are currently underway to help restore the endangered bird known for its blue neck and bright red waddle.
For now, Longreach officials haven鈥檛 taken any action to remove the emus from town, but that may not always remain the case. Climate models predict that eastern Australia will continue to see worse droughts, researchers report in a recent . In the meantime, officials are urging residents to be cautious when driving. After all, not only are the birds stressed while they look for nourishment, but they don鈥檛 look both ways before crossing the road.
[video:192701|caption:Emus walking around the town of Longreach, Australia. Video via YouTube]