LINTON, Ind. — An adventurous emu is back home after a two-week escape in western Indiana.
"Rigby" is one of two pet emus who call Messmer Farms in Linton home. But he recently went on an adventure beyond his normal, fenced-in world.
"He flopped over the fence and just took off," Sam Messmer told WTWO.
Messmer said Rigby ventured north along State Road 59 into Jasonville, then nearly returned home to Linton before taking off toward Lone Tree.
The search became a countywide task, with locals reporting sightings of the emu regularly, but as the birds can run up to 30 mph, Rigby, who is affectionately called "Turdbird" by the Messmers, eluded capture for about two weeks.
In the end, simplicity brought him back to the farm.
"We had all sorts of traps and contraptions that we came up with, but eventually just a good 'ol rope laid on the ground, led him into it, snagged him," Messmer said.
The community response to Rigby's escape led the Messmers to create an Etsy shop dedicated to the bird.
Now that Rigby is back home, the attention is shifting to efforts to grow his family with his mate, "Eleanor," which means he'll need to learn to stay put.
"'Cause the males are the ones that take care of the eggs and when they lay on the eggs, they can sit for, I think it's 20ish weeks or something," Messmer said.
In the meantime, Rigby can be found roaming his enclosure and munching on his beloved grapes.
The Messmers said they'll be installing a higher fence — just in case.