MESA, Arizona — A female emu named Richard died Thursday morning after Maricopa County Sheriff’s deputies tried to wrangle the animal who had escaped from her yard.
Witnesses said the emu was “lassoed” by deputies.
According to MCSO, deputies responded to the area of 113th and Minton streets in Mesa for an “emu on the loose.” Deputies located the emu and while corralling her, it allegedly "collapsed and died," deputies said.
MCSO said the emu was not shot by the deputies or anyone else.
Michael Davis, a witness to the incident, told 12News Richard was out in front of the house, walking around. Richard was not violent or aggressive, Davis said.
A little while after Davis saw Richard, MCSO deputies arrived and put a “leash or a rope” around Richard’s neck to try to lead her to a squad car, Davis said.
According to Davis, Richard passed out on the way to the squad car, allegedly from the rope or leash around her neck being too tight.
“Everyone that was out here witnessing it said, ‘is it breathing? Are you choking it?’” Davis told 12News.
Deputies loosened the restraint around Richard’s neck and led her to the car, Davis said. But Richard was “obviously in distress,” and she was “kicking and screaming” as deputies tried to get her in the car.
“Then it stopped moving,” Davis said. “Unfortunately, nobody knew what to do at that point.”
Davis said Richard had gotten out before, but when she got out that time, the sheriff’s office called the Arizona Department of Agriculture and Richard was put in a horse trailer to be taken back to her home.
“I don’t know why they didn’t do that this time,” Davis said. “I really don’t feel like the police were malicious toward the creature, they just were ill-equipped and unprepared and untrained in how to deal with this situation.”
“We were trying to help as much as we could without interfering with them,” Davis said. “They obviously didn’t want us in their way either.”
Davis said Richard was not a threat to anyone or any property and he wishes the MCSO had not tried to put Richard in the car and instead, called an organization like AZDA to help Richard.
“If they would have just slowed down for a second and even called somebody or looked it up on their phone, they might have had some different solutions,” Davis said.
Richard’s owners live about a mile away from where the incident occurred. They told 12News Richard was named after a character in Tommy Boy. But when Richard laid an egg they discovered he was actually a she.
They kept the name anyway.
She’d been with the family for 6 years – emus can live up to 35 years in captivity. Now Richard’s owners said they want someone at MCSO to be held responsible for Richard’s death.
MCSO said there are no standard procedures when deputies come across wild animals in populated neighborhoods.
"When deputies respond to these calls for service, the priority is to ensure the safety of the community and everyone involved, including the animal," the department told 12News. "An attempt was made to contact livestock but was unsuccessful. The deputies who responded used the resources they had to get the emu out safely but unfortunately, they were unsuccessful."
More ways to get 12News
On your phone: Download the 12News app for the latest local breaking news straight to your phone.
On your streaming device: Download 12News+ to your streaming device
The free 12News+ app from 12News lets users stream live events — including daily newscasts like "Today in AZ" and "12 News" and our daily lifestyle program, "Arizona Midday"—on Roku and Amazon Fire TV.
12News+ showcases live video throughout the day for breaking news, local news, weather and even an occasional moment of Zen showcasing breathtaking sights from across Arizona.
Up to Speed
Catch up on the latest news and stories on the 12News YouTube channel. Subscribe today.