Australian emu escapes in Florida and clues point to goat as his accomplice, cops say

An exotic bird that stands more than 5-feet tall is on the run in Florida, and investigators seriously suspect it was unleashed by a goat.

The escapee is a 2-year-old emu named Merlin, and he was last seen around 8 a.m. Friday, April 15, according to the Collier County Sheriff’s Office.

Emu can’t fly and they’re huge — standing 5 to 6 feet and weighing up to 150 pounds — so it defies logic Merlin has eluded detection for a week in Golden Gate Estates. The subdivision is northeast of Naples and has “mile-long streets that dead end at a canal.”

“Have you seen this missing emu? Yes, you read that correctly,” the sheriff’s office wrote in an April 20 Facebook post.

“There was nothing magical about Merlin’s disappearance. His owners told detectives they believe Merlin was accidentally freed from his pen by their pet goat.”

How a goat did that “accidentally” was not revealed, but goats are notorious for doing what suits them in the moment — like cats.

Meanwhile, emus run at about 31 mph, so Merlin didn’t need much of a window to disappear.

A photo released by the sheriff’s office shows him wearing a men’s bow tie, but it’s believed he was wearing only “soft, fluffy feathers” at the time of his escape.

“He is described as friendly by his owners,” the sheriff’s office said. “Help us get Merlin home.”

The name of Merlin’s owner was not released, but a “devastated” Marcela Zurita has stepped forward on social media to say he’s her “baby.”

“I want my Merlin back!” she wrote April 20 on Facebook. “I will not stop until I bring my baby back home!”

Merlin faces significant dangers in the wilderness areas of Collier County, which is home to alligators, venomous snakes and the panthers at Florida Panther National Wildlife Refuge.

This story was originally published April 21, 2022 at 12:18 PM with the headline "Australian emu escapes in Florida and clues point to goat as his accomplice, cops say."