Tucson emu owner speaks out after pet escapes
TUCSON, Ariz. (13 News) - It’s not something you see every day in Tucson - an emu on the loose wandering the streets.
The exotic bird escaped his owner’s home this week and was spotted by dozens of people across town, causing quite a commotion and confusion.
The Pima County Sheriff’s Department and PACC confirmed they received several calls about the emu around 8:30 a.m. on Friday.
The owner of the bird, whose legal name is Tattoo Tattoo, showed us where “Liberty” escaped from his enclosure off Nogales Highway.
“It just got really tough coming around that corner and seeing the gate down,” Tattoo said.
Worried he might be hurt, Tattoo went on a desperate search to find him.
“I didn’t wanna be coming home from work one day and he’s on the side of the road or something,” Tattoo said.
After two days of looking, he didn’t have any luck, until he discovered Liberty had gone viral on social media and was loose on the streets. He said the bird headed north down Nogales Highway from his backyard and managed to get as far as Raytheon before being captured by authorities.
According to PCSD, Liberty was picked up by the Tohono O’odham Police Department and was transported to the nation’s Natural Resources Department. Tattoo said Liberty is unharmed and safe.
Tattoo, who said he raised the emu from an egg, is in the process of being reunited with his feathered friend.
He said it meant a lot that so many people cared about his beloved pet and shared about his escape online.
“I couldn’t thank you guys enough,” Tattoo said. “In my mind, it’s like...it’s a bird.. like c’mon it’s a bird... but they just blew it up. Now if we could just do that for each other we’d be better off.”
This is not the first time a “wild” animal has been spotted in the Tucson area.
In 2020, a video of a javelina out for a run went viral.
Damion Alexander shared the video with 13 News showing the peccary running near 22nd and Kolb.
13 News posted the story, which became one of our most-read that year.
Also in 2020, officers with the Oro Valley Police Department dealt with some drama when it had to chase down two llamas.
That year also gave us a scene straight out of Looney Tunes.
Michael Bogan, an assistant professor at UA’s School of Natural Resources and the Environment, spotted a coyote chasing a roadrunner in Tucson.
Earlier this year, a mountain lion showed up at the Tucson Medical Center campus on Grant Road.
The Arizona Game and Fish Department said the lion had not caused problems before and was released a few days later.
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