Emmanuel the Emu — a viral sensation from earlier this year — is near death’s door after the bird flu has spread throughout his farm … killing off a lot of the owners’ other animals.
Taylor Blake shared the sad news Saturday, saying their business — Knuckle Bump Farms — has been hit hard by avian influenza … this after a pack of wild geese have flown onto their property consistently of late — leaving behind deadly strains of the flu that has taken its toll.
Blake says they’ve lost 99% of their domesticated birds — including all of their ducks, geese and chickens … not to mentions some of their emus, including Emily, Eliza and Elliot.
Now, it sounds like only Emmanuel and another emu named Rico are left alive — but TB says Emmanuel is on the mend right now after unexpectedly going down on Wednesday … apparently a result of catching the bird flu that’s running rampant on their farm.
Blake says she’s been tending to him around the clock and that Emmanuel is fighting to stay alive. While she’s devastated over the loss of their other animals … she says she’s grateful to still have Emmanuel, and believes he’ll make a full recovery — despite some nerve damage.
She explains … “It seems like I haven’t been able to catch a break these past few months, but I am so incredibly blessed. I have so much gratitude in my heart that Emmanuel is still alive. That he is fighting. That my best friend is making a comeback. I am going to be ok, we are going to be ok!”
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Blake says she’s working through getting Emmanuel back to 100% with physical therapy, and is asking the public for prayers, as well as help on tips in regards to big bird PT.
One last thing … it sounds like the water dispersed all over Florida as a result of Hurricane Ian may have contributed to the bird flu spreading like crazy. Scary stuff, especially if you have livestock that may be susceptible. Here’s hoping Emmanuel can pull through.
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