THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Thursday, September 26, 1996 TAG: 9609260288
SECTION: FRONT PAGE: A1 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY KATRICE FRANKLIN, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: SUFFOLK LENGTH: 62 lines
``Beep Beep.'' There she is.
Dang. There she goes.
The search continues for the emu who ran away from her owner's home Sunday. And for her quickness - she can run as fast as 40 mph - she's been given a new name.
``We've named her Beep Beep,'' said Shawne Bryant, the emu's owner. ``You know, as in Road Runner.''
The 5-foot-5, 100-pound ostrich-like bird lured animal control and police officers to the Suffolk Airport on Wednesday morning. An airport tenant spotted the bird near the runway. That's when the authorities were called.
``It was kinda hard to believe,'' airport manager Joe E. Love said. ``When the guy told me that, I said, `What?' ''
Love said the emu hung around the airport for about an hour. She wandered to the other side of the runway before taking off for the woods, he said.
``The emu took up about 2 1/2 hours of my time,'' Love said. ``We kept an eye on it until animal control came. I also had to keep in touch with pilots to ensure the emu wasn't near where they were landing or taking off.
``Usually the pilots talk to each other, but this time we had to do an emu check.''
Over the past few days, the emu has been spotted on White Marsh Road, Skeetertown Road and near the Great Dismal Swamp.
She has not strayed farther than a half-mile from her Hosier Road home. Once, she was spotted lying next to a puddle of water on the road.
Kathy Burket, who raises emus for meat in the Buckhorn section of Suffolk, about 10 miles from the edge of the Great Dismal Swamp, said the birds are only dangerous when they are trapped.
``The best thing to do, if anyone sees it, is to report it,'' she said. ``Do not chase it. Eventually, if she gets too stressed, she will run until she dies.''
Emus can live up to six weeks without food, but they have to have water, Burkett said.
Bryant, a gynecologist who owns eight other emus, began raising the birds about three months ago to study possible medical uses. It's breeding season, and on Sunday Beep Beep was in a 5-foot cage with the other emus.
Bryant said she suspects one of the birds liked her, but Beep Beep didn't want to reciprocate.
``She just wasn't ready to breed,'' Bryant said. ``We're trying to be real positive, but it's so frustrating when you get so close and she runs away. Because I've only had her for about three weeks, she's not used to me yet, so she keeps running. We're trying to back her into a corner.''
Mike Simpkins, public information officer for the Suffolk Police Department, said anyone who spots the bird should call Animal Control or the police department.
Simpkins said a state biologist has been contacted, and if the emu stays in one place long enough, the biologist will attempt to shoot it with a tranquilizer gun.
Late Wednesday evening, Bryant was still chasing Beep Beep.
``The last time we spotted her, she was heading east,'' Bryant said. ``If she'd just go southeast, she would be home.'' ILLUSTRATION: JOE E. LOVE
Beep Beep the emu briefly visited Suffolk Airport Wednesday. by CNB