Free as a bird! Runaway therapy emu named Rodney sparks five-hour rescue mission after jumping over a fence and running for a mile
- Rodney escaped his home in Suffolk in the middle of the night on Thursday
- He was found about a mile away and is temporarily staying with a neighbour
A runaway therapy emu sparked a five-hour rescue mission after it jumped over a fence and went on the run for a mile.
Rodney, an 11-month-old pet emu, escaped his home in Suffolk in the middle of the night on Thursday and went out on an adventure of his own.
The bird had managed to make it about a mile away from home before his owners located him.
Rodney has temporarily been sent away to a neighbour’s house while his owners address their fears about the effectiveness of fencing.
Rodney the emu sparked a five-hour rescue mission after it jumped over a fence and went on the run for a mile
Rodney, an 11-month-old pet emu, escaped his home in Suffolk in the middle of the night on Thursday and went out on an adventure of his own
Rodney’s owner Jon Cardy, 54, was forced to cut short his first holiday since the pandemic after the bird jumped the fence at his home in Chedburgh.
Jon and his wife Laura received a call from their pet-sitter at 6.30am saying Rodney was missing.
Without hesitation Jon jumped in his car and drove back from Northamptonshire to look for the fugitive bird – with the help of the RSPCA, RSPB and even the police.
At around 11.30am he received a message on a community WhatsApp group asking if someone had lost their bird, which he instantly recognised as Rodney.
He quickly reached Rodney – who had managed to make it about a mile away from home – and coaxed him to the car with some tempting treats.
Jon said: ‘I put some of his favourite food down on the ground in front of me and he came to me without too much difficulty.
‘He came over and he let me put my arms round his neck and cuddle him and stroke him and I managed to get him into the car to take him home.
Rodney’s owner Jon Cardy, 54, was forced to cut short his first holiday in years after the bird jumped the fence at his home in Chedburgh
Jon and his wife Laura (pictured together) received a call from their pet-sitter at 6.30am saying Rodney was missing
The couple took in Rodney when he was just two-weeks-old and grew up in their kitchen, moving outdoors when he got older. Rodney is pictured above as a baby
‘I think what happened was that there was a storm here on Wednesday night and he got spooked and must have hurdled over one of the fences.
‘He was definitely here on Wednesday evening when our friend shut everything up and put all the animals to bed.
‘But when she turned up early on Thursday morning he was not, so at some point in the night he went on an adventure.
‘He has on occasion escaped before and gone on adventures but not quite that far and we’ve found him pretty quickly.
‘This one was a bit more worrying.’
With fears about the effectiveness of his fencing, Jon has temporarily sent Rodney away to a neighbours who has a female emu.
He said: ‘I am worried now that our fences are not high enough, so Rodney has gone to join Stacey, a female emu, at another house close by.
‘Rodney is nearly a fully grown boy and they have a fully grown girl. They’re both alone so we have set them up on an emu date and hope they get on well.’
The couple took in Rodney when he was just two-weeks-old and grew up in their kitchen, moving outdoors when he got older.
Jon and Laura’s house is full of other animals – including pigs, dogs, geese, a two-legged cat, a tortoise and lots of bunnies.
Many of their pets are used as therapy animals for people who are struggling with their mental health.
Without hesitation Jon jumped in his car and drove back from Northamptonshire to look for the fugitive bird – with the help of the RSPCA, RSPB and even the police
Jon and Laura’s house is full of other animals – including pigs, dogs, geese, a two-legged cat, a tortoise and lots of bunnies
Jon is a former consultant in anaesthesia and critical medicine, while his wife Laura used to be an NHS nurse.
He added: ‘My wife and I are trying to help people with broken minds. We tame as many of our animals to be pets of therapy or emotional support animals.
‘Between us we have 39 years of experience healing broken bodies but in the past four years or so we’ve switched to healing broken minds.
‘Rodney makes a great therapy animal. If you can get past being completely weirded out by a six-foot bird with a massive beak right in your face, he is very cuddly and likes strokes and is good for the soul.
‘He hasn’t got much between his big ears but he is lovely, very inquisitive, adorable and very friendly.’
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