Bird Experts Ask Owner To Euthanize Sick Emu Named Emmanuel After She Posts Videos Kissing Him
Emmanuel the Emu has more than 211 million followers.
Twitter A famous TikTok farm in South Florida is facing an avian flu epidemic.
Taylor Blake, the owner of Blake’s Knuckle Bump Farms, revealed that 99% of her birds have been killed by the disease.
She posted a video of her kissing her sick emu, Emmanuel, which received quite a reaction from bird experts.
Bird experts warned Taylor Blake to euthanize Emmanuel before the avian flu spreads to humans and other animals.
“We had a massive tragedy strike the farm, and I have been doing my best to wrap my head around it,” Blake posted to Twitter.
Blake continued to post to the thread about wild geese venturing onto the farm, thus posing a major threat to her domesticated birds.
Blake stated, “Wild birds carry and transmit a deadly virus known as Avian Influenza.”
There is no vaccine for the avian flu virus.
“It’s relatively impossible to vaccinate for AI because there are so many mutated versions of the virus,” Blake wrote via her Twitter post.
She made it clear that the farm had been in contact with the state of Florida and was following all wildlife protocols.
The state believes the outbreak was caused by all of the standing water following hurricane Ian Blake included in her post.
Just when they thought they had pushed through the outbreak, Emmanuel the beloved emu fell ill.
Included in the Twitter thread there are multiple posts of Blake and other farm staff in close contact with the sickly emu.
There is even footage of Blake kissing Emmanuel and posing face-to-face with him.
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Bird experts have weighed in on the situation, responding publicly to Blakes's post.
Experts believe that Blake is doing the wrong thing by keeping this suffering emu alive and coming in too close of contact without protective gear.
One scientist wrote “Being face to face with a bird w avian flu is a bad idea - this is how zoonotic transmissions occur, this is why entire farms cull sick birds. We live with the threat of pandemic flu.”
Dr. Angelina Rasamussen also stated “If your emu (or any bird) has avian influenza, do not kiss it. Do not cuddle with it. Do not touch it.”
Rasmussen continues, “Bird flu is extremely dangerous to humans and other animals. And it sounds hard, but to prevent its spread, birds that get avian flu should be euthanized.”
Another bird expert weighed in on the viral situation, “DO NOT touch, handle or attempt to treat suspected sick or dead birds yourself - particularly poultry, waterfowl (ducks, geese, etc) or seabirds. These are VERY dangerous viruses that can infect people and be deadly!”
Annabelle Miller is a writer based in Connecticut. She covers news, celebrity gossip, and pop culture topics.