I thought I would share this with everyone.

Being a small dot in the desert has its good points. A few days ago I was able to see the local emu family wander in to town to feed. They were actually at the back of my house, where there is a vacant lot, picking at the ground. What was more astounding, is that the father had taken brought in four of the emu chicks in with him. They are quite common in this area, but Ive never seen the chicks so close to people.

Here's a few of the better pictures I managed to get

Hope you enjoy them













[edit on 6/10/2009 by OzWeatherman]

O M G
I am inlove!!!!!!!
And they are wild too, how lovely. can I link this to my oz animals thread?

Originally posted by zazzafrazz
O M G
I am inlove!!!!!!!
And they are wild too, how lovely. can I link this to my oz animals thread?

Yep you sure can

Its cool, the chicks dont really have feathers this young, they are mostly a fuzzy furry thing

It's only a matter of time before even emus will become a pest to the people living in the area. It always happens because we always manage to ruin their natural habitat, then when they become an annoyance we hunt them or come up with excuses to "control" their population.

I'm really glad to see emus, but at the same time, I just feel that they are going down a dangerous path, getting that close to humans. Once people start feeding wildlife, only bad things will come from it.

Beautiful. Thanks for posting this, and the fact that they are wild adds 1000x to the quality of these photos. S&F

Originally posted by LeTan
It's only a matter of time before even emus will become a pest to the people living in the area. It always happens because we always manage to ruin their natural habitat, then when they become an annoyance we hunt them or come up with excuses to "control" their population.

Ummm no. They have always been around Woomera, ever since it was built in the early 20th century. Nobody here is even close to considering them a pest. The town is isolated, the closest town south is 200km away and the nearest town north is 8km's away. If people had wanted these native creatures dead, they wouldve done it already

I'm really glad to see emus, but at the same time, I just feel that they are going down a dangerous path, getting that close to humans. Once people start feeding wildlife, only bad things will come from it.

Nobody feeds them. Its hard enough to get clsoe to them. Like I said, people here respect them and they respect us. They wouldnt even come into town if they were threatened. You are obviously from another country or you have never lived in a small rural town in the outback.

Im sorry but you dont seem to know what you are talking about

Oh those are adorable! I like the babies... All I get here are ducks crossing the road.

It weird how close you were able to get! Amazing!! You guys have all the cool wildlife

Some elderly lady here in FL was attacked by a group of raccoons!

Originally posted by mblahnikluver
Oh those are adorable! I like the babies... All I get here are ducks crossing the road.

It weird how close you were able to get! Amazing!! You guys have all the cool wildlife

Some elderly lady here in FL was attacked by a group of raccoons!

Lol, these are a tad bigger than ducks. We actually put out water for them in buckets so they have something to drink as its quite dry out here. I suspect they come into town for shade as its the only tree abundant area in the desert

Originally posted by OzWeatherman

Okay I need to lodge a formal complaint to someone in charge...

I mean come on... look at the crossing sign! The Bird is smart enough to cross at a school crossing but surely the gov could spring the cost of an appropriate sign...



I mean the Roos get them...



Snakes get them...



Gators get them...



But your local Emu's have to use people crossings? What's up with that?


But some of you blokes have a weird sence of humor down there...

Originally posted by zorgon
But some of you blokes have a weird sence of humor down there...

That actually a Cassowary in the Daintree rainforest queensland.

I know because I had my picture taken with that sign when I was living up in Cairns

Originally posted by OzWeatherman
That actually a Cassowary in the Daintree rainforest queensland.

Cassowary? Oh one of these?



I think I will bring my suit of armour when I visit

Originally posted by zorgon
Cassowary? Oh one of these?

I think I will bring my suit of armour when I visit

Thats the one

Thankfully emus are less aggresive and more shy than cassowary

Some of the roos can give you a bit of a push too

I love the variety of wildlife you get in Halls Gap just outside your door too.

Originally posted by JackWestJr
Some of the roos can give you a bit of a push too

I love the variety of wildlife you get in Halls Gap just outside your door too.

Yep they sure can

Thats why the Emu is my favorite Aussie animal, they are much more docile, although I would want to anger one

Originally posted by OzWeatherman

Originally posted by LeTan
It's only a matter of time before even emus will become a pest to the people living in the area. It always happens because we always manage to ruin their natural habitat, then when they become an annoyance we hunt them or come up with excuses to "control" their population.

Ummm no. They have always been around Woomera, ever since it was built in the early 20th century. Nobody here is even close to considering them a pest. The town is isolated, the closest town south is 200km away and the nearest town north is 8km's away. If people had wanted these native creatures dead, they wouldve done it already

I'm really glad to see emus, but at the same time, I just feel that they are going down a dangerous path, getting that close to humans. Once people start feeding wildlife, only bad things will come from it.

Nobody feeds them. Its hard enough to get clsoe to them. Like I said, people here respect them and they respect us. They wouldnt even come into town if they were threatened. You are obviously from another country or you have never lived in a small rural town in the outback.

Im sorry but you dont seem to know what you are talking about

No, in this case, I don't think I do know. I'm sorry I guess I was assuming a lot of things. I live in the states and we have a problem with black bears and grizzly bears.

Sorry if my post offended you or something, I was just stating how I feel about human interaction with wild life and how it can and does turn bad a lot of the time. Anyway, thanks for giving me more info on the Emus and more geological data. I should have looked up where Woomera was, and after posting, I did so, I should have looked it up before posting. Ah well, you live, you learn. Thanks again.

Originally posted by LeTan
No, in this case, I don't think I do know. I'm sorry I guess I was assuming a lot of things. I live in the states and we have a problem with black bears and grizzly bears.

Its ok. Our animals are different here than the ones found in the states, although we are advised not to feed them. I know that fisherman often lead crocodiles to fishing areas by leaving bait and fish waste around.

Sorry if my post offended you or something, I was just stating how I feel about human interaction with wild life and how it can and does turn bad a lot of the time. Anyway, thanks for giving me more info on the Emus and more geological data. I should have looked up where Woomera was, and after posting, I did so, I should have looked it up before posting. Ah well, you live, you learn. Thanks again.

Actually I came across harsher than I meant to...apologies.

Great pics OzWeatherman

I haven't encountered wild emus in decades since I moved south of Bass Strait. That's half the national coat of arms there.

What the 2 animals (kangaroo & emu) on the oZ coat of arms have in common - they never take a backward step

[edit on 7/10/2009 by Pilgrum]