Emu on the loose on Vermont island

GRAND ISLE, Vt., Feb. 19 (UPI) -- The residents of the island town Grand Isle, Vt., have been struggling to catch an emu that has been on the run for the past several weeks.

The elusive emu, which escaped from a farm five weeks ago, was last seen, and nearly captured, on Friday, WCAX-TV, Burlington, Vt., reported.

Steve Berard said he spotted the bird outside of an elementary school Friday morning. He said he grabbed an extension cord and headed toward the school's playground.

"It will stand still and that is how I actually had it around its neck, I had the wire around its neck and I was trying to lasso it a little better. I did not want to hurt it. Then it laid its neck back, but I was right next to it like you to me, I was grabbing it. I could have sat on him. He did not kick or nothing. ... People say he will hurt you, but I don't know," Berard said.

Berard, however, was not able to keep control of the bird and it ended up getting away.

"When I lost her she was right in here," Berard said. "You gotta watch the wings. Like a turkey them wings can really do some damage. Birds are tough. His feet are as big as my hand."

The owner of the bird said he bought it and two others for his grandchildren, but they don't make great pets.

"The Grand Isle farmer has posted an ad into the paper that has said, 'Free emu if you can capture it,'" said Tonya Poutry of the Islander Newspaper.