British Columbia

Don't shoot Lucy the runaway emu, pleads Nanaimo owner

He may not be a flight risk, but Lucy, the emu is still on the lam in Nanaimo, B.C.

16-year-old bird had been spotted near city's downtown, then heading north

Lucy the emu loose near Nanaimo RAW

11 years ago
Duration 0:10
Matthew Jantzi shared this footage shot at around 8 a.m. Sunday morning on Nanaimo River Road: "He was walking down the street just as calm as can be."

He may not be a flight risk, but Lucy, the emu is still on the lam in Nanaimo, B.C.

The 16-year-old bird made a run for freedom Sunday when someone left his pen open. The bird was spotted near Colliery Dam Park Tuesday.

But his owner Tim Genner, says he is most worried the 70-kilogram bird might get caught by the wrong people.

Lucy the Emu was on the run in and around Nanaimo, B.C., this past week. (Twitter)

"My biggest concern is conservation officers. Their concern is not conservation. It's to get the animal out of public purview. And that always involves — mostly involves killing them," said Genner.

If he's spotted, owner Genner would prefer people to call the Nanaimo RCMP.

Genner says several years after the bird was named, it was discovered that Lucy was not female, but the name stuck.

Genner has been using the Twitter account @Lucyontheloose​ to help track the bird, which appears to be moving north.

Here is Lucy's voyage so far:

Sunday: Lucy flew the coop.

Monday: No known sightings.

Tuesday: Spotted near Colliery Lake Dam Park, and later spotted near Vancouver Island University

Wednesday - Spotted near Nanaimo Regional General Hospital.

Thursday - Possible emu sounds heard in area of Lost Lake Road near Rutherford Road area.

Twitter user @TheMajorCow published a public Google Map of reported sightings of Lucy