Are emus endangered?
According to the IUCN their conservation status is of 'least concern'. In Australia there are between 625,000 to 725,000 wild emus.
The species survived in the wild until 1865, and the last captive bird died in 1873.
The emu population around Australia is estimated to be around 600,000 to over 700,000, and nationally they're classified as 'of least concern'.
Emus can cost anywhere between $1000 and $40,000, depending on their age and breeding status. Generally, emus that are only a week old or younger cost the least. Contrarily, adult emu pairs with proven breeding records typically cost the most.
In the 1990s, emu was billed as America's next red meat. Environmentalists touted its eco-friendliness, nutritionists gushed over its health benefits, and chefs praised its tender meat. But more than a decade later, emu still can't compete with beef when it comes to space on the dinner plate.
They are cream-coloured with dark brown stripes. The colouration helps to camouflage them from predators. Wild Emus can live for 5 to 10 years.
While attacks on humans are rare and fatalities even less common, these are quite sizable birds, fully capable of eviscerating even large animals with their big, three-toed, clawed feet. So, while they are friendly and inquisitive, emus should definitely be treated with respect and caution.
The chicks are fully grown at around 12 months, but do not mature sexually until around 18-20 months. In the wild emus live 5-10 years, but in captivity they may live 35 years.
The Emu Is A Prehistoric Bird
Emus have roamed the Australian outback for over 80 million years. They are members of the ratite family, along with ostrich, rhea, cassowary and kiwi.
What are emus good for?
Emus Could Be a Profitable and Rewarding Homestead Addition
One of the biggest benefits of raising emus is that their functionality means there's very little waste, with the feathers, leather, oil, meat, and eggs making them one of the most versatile birds you could invest in.
Emu eggs are rich and creamy; very similar to a duck egg. Eat them any way you would a regular egg: omelettes, scrambled, over easy, frittatas, pancakes and more! They are very light and fluffy in texture.
Here is a sentence that is at once absurd and unsurprising: in 1932, Australia declared war on emus. It sounds like a joke, but the Great Emu War of Western Australia was real. Soldiers with machine guns were deployed to fight off the flightless birds.
Answer and Explanation: No people died during the Emu War because it wasn't actually a war. The Emu War refers to an attempt to control the emu (a large flightless bird) population in Australia because they were damaging crops. This "war" occurred in 1932.
"The emu command had evidently ordered guerrilla tactics, and its unwieldy army soon split up into innumerable small units that made use of the military equipment uneconomic. A crestfallen field force therefore withdrew from the combat area after about a month.”
Emus can live in cold weather. They tolerate temperatures as low as 23°F while maintaining their body temperature. But as the temperature falls below 23° you should start considering sheltering them. Emus are particularly sensitive to cold, wet conditions.
There are substantial profits that can be made in raising and selling emus as breeding pairs, given the large volume of emu ranches that are starting each year. A proven emu breeding pair can be sold at $8,000 to $30,000 depending on the historical number of fertile eggs the pair has produced each mating season.
Emus are legal in California.
Captive emus also become attracted to humans. Pat Sauer of the American Emu Association said: “There can be problems when an emu falls in love with you. I do not think it is as common as with ostriches.”
The only two that are a bit wild are Marco and Polo but when they are together, they are more comfortable around people. One way to get them used to you is to constantly have them eat out of your hands. When raising emus, you must have at least two. They are very sociable creatures and need a buddy.
Can emus live with chickens?
Usually, chickens and emus can get along if they are raised together or slowly introduced to each other. If they are not introduced correctly, however, the much larger emus may see the chickens as a threat and attack them. Chickens and sheep typically get along.
The female emu may or may not find another partner to mate with during this period. She may even lay her eggs in the nest of another emu pair leaving that male to do all the work. In a productive laying season, a female emu produces three complete clutches. So, in total, she can lay up to 50 eggs in one season.
The emu has the reputation of being one of the least intelligent birds among a few emu experts, including a Canadian scientist and a former emu breeder. They aren't as bright as crows but are more so than turkeys, and yet they can be easily fooled.
Emus have no teeth to grind up food so they swallow pebbles into the gizzard and the pebbles grind up the food like a mill. Emu eyes are covered with clear membranes like security blinds to protect them against dust and moisture loss.
Adult emus are generally not as docile as emu chicks, specifically if they were not raised by humans. In fact, if an adult emu was raised by a human that isn't you, it may never trust or bond with you like its original human. In summary, emus are docile as pets if you get them when they are young.
Emus eat the parts of plants that have the most concentrated nutrients: seeds, fruits, flowers and young shoots. They also eat insects and small vertebrates when they are easily available. They will not eat dry grasses or mature leaves.
Can an emu and ostrich mate? Male emus and male ostriches have similar penises. So, they can possibly mate with the females of the other animal. However, mating between these animals is unlikely to be viable.
Immediately after the sunset, the emu lie down to sleep, although it may rise up to eight times during the night for the purpose of defecation and feeding. On an average, the emu will awaken every one and half to two hours. They rise for a few minute, stands to defecate and feed.
Emus can survive without drinking water for a day or two because of the arid environment that they live in but when they do find water they drink large amounts.
Get wet. Emus are good swimmers. They are sometimes seen in ponds or lakes.
Do emus have brains?
Such stories of extreme stupidity are not uncommon when it comes to the emu and it may come as no surprise to learn that the emu has a very small brain.
The closest living relatives of Tyrannosaurus rex are birds such as chickens and ostriches, according to research published today in Science (and promptly reported in the New York Times). Paleontologists used material discovered in a chance find in 2003 to pin down the link.
Facts about emu
They can grow up to 2m tall. They can live between ten and twenty years in the wild. They are covered in soft fluffy feathers. They have two sets of eyelids, one for blinking and the other for keeping the dust out!
Emu eggs selling for $30 each gain renewed popularity with consumers in WA.
The American Heart Association recognizes emu meat as a healthy alternative to beef. Emu meat is higher in iron, protein and Vitamin C than beef and has the equivalent fat and cholesterol of poultry. Emu meat is extremely low-fat, containing only 3 grams per 3.5 ounce serving.
Does emu taste like ostrich? Emu meat definitely tastes very close to ostrich meat. They're both large birds, and both have red meat that tastes like a cross between beef and chicken or duck.
Its flesh is a nutritionist's dream — it's lean, low in cholesterol and high in iron and vitamin C. Emu connoisseurs attest the bird tastes like a fine filet mignon.
Emus are protected in New South Wales by the Biodiversity Conservation Act 2016 (BC Act). It is illegal to take emus or emu eggs from the wild.
The Emu Problem
Up until 1922, emus were a protected native species in Australia, but then things changed. Emus started to wreak havoc on crops; they came in huge numbers and ate standing crops down to the stub, thereby ravaging farmers' crops and destroying their livelihood.
Perth, Australia
The battle began in early November 1932, when the soldiers encountered a lock of about 50 emus and succeeded in killing several before the birds scattered. A few days later, however, a second encounter with about 1,000 birds turned into clear victory for the emus when a machine gun jammed.
What countries lost emus?
The Australian army tried to kill many emus because they were pests. The army fought the war against the birds in late 1932. Farmers were having trouble with the many emus invading the Campion district of Western Australia. Soldiers used Lewis guns to try to kill the emus.
How Is Emu Oil Extracted? A layer of fat exists under the skin, primarily on the back of the bird. These birds are usually farmed so that their oil, and sometimes their meat, can be used after they are killed. Since emu fat is taken after the animal has died, skincare products containing it are not cruelty-free.
The end result of the war was arguably that the emus won via outlasting the humans. While there were no human casualties, only 986 of the roughly 20,000 emus were killed, and 9,860 bullets had been used up.
As the three Aussie hunters found out, emus can take roughly five bullets before realizing they've been shot and ten rounds before they finally die.
That lasted until December, at which point Meredith and his men were forced to admit defeat and retreat: the Australian army had been defeated by emus. They had used nearly all 10,000 rounds of ammunition, but at the cost of 10 rounds per emu killed.
Not 100% Australian…? While the Emu is endemic to Australia, their name is not of Aboriginal origin.
Great Emu War of 1932
The devastating failure was widely covered by the Australian media at the time and the reason given for it was – the birds were too quick and tough to kill.
Answer and Explanation: No people died during the Emu War because it wasn't actually a war. The Emu War refers to an attempt to control the emu (a large flightless bird) population in Australia because they were damaging crops. This "war" occurred in 1932.
The emu is the second largest living bird and the largest bird found in Australia. Its height averages 5.7 feet (1.75 meters). Males weigh 110 to 121 pounds (50 to 55 kilograms), and females weigh about 11 pounds (5 kilograms) more than males. Emus live only in Australia, where they are widespread.