The emu, a large Australian flightless bird, had been on the loose since at least June 13, drawing attention as it moved through residential and wooded areas of Sussex County. The Hopatcong Animal Shelter issued public notices asking for information and warning residents not to attempt to capture the animal themselves.
DiMatteo and personnel from Hound Hunters of New Jersey set up a metal pen on Colby Road after the emu was spotted there repeatedly.
“We set up a 10 x 10 pen with a gate on it. He watched us, it was actually hysterical, he literally watched us put together the pen from probably five feet away,” DiMatteo told NorthJersey.com. “He just kept casually walking by us.”
DiMatteo said she took apples and tossed them into the pen. The emu entered without hesitation.
“I walked right up behind him, shut the gate on him and that was it,” she said.
A local couple had been leaving food and water for the bird in recent days, helping keep it in the area until DiMatteo could set up the capture.
The Hopatcong Animal Shelter posted on social media Thursday to confirm the emu was safe and had been transported to Space Farms Zoo & Museum, a wildlife facility in Sussex County. Zoo staff said the emu will be a permanent resident.
The bird’s origin remains a mystery. The shelter had previously asked the public for help identifying the owner, but no one came forward. The emu’s capture marks the end of an unusual wildlife incident that puzzled residents and local officials in a region more accustomed to rescuing black bears and other native species. In 2020, a similar incident occurred in nearby Paterson when an emu was captured running through city streets with a net by animal control officers.