A large bird was on the loose this morning on Highway 41 between Oshkosh and Fond du Lac. Sergeant Mark Abrahamson of the state patrol says an emu
was wandering in the median … close to the southbound lanes. He says they had no choice but to close the highway and euthanize the bird.
He says it's not that often they run into emus. They do encounter ducks and other animals, but not emus. Abrahamson didn't enjoy putting the bird to rest, but he says public safety comes first and there didn't appear to be any reasonable alternative.
Abrahamson says they're trying to find out where the emu came from. He says there is a nearby farm that raises similar birds, but this particluar one doesn't belong to that farmer.
Abrahamson says 9-1-1 calls started coming in a little before 9:30. He says if a vehicle would've hit the large bird it could've caused a lot of damage — and potentially some injuries.
