Residents document second emu on the loose in Minnesota

Nov. 7 (UPI) -- Authorities in a Minnesota town are trying to capture an escaped emu only about an hour away from where another emu has been on the loose for months.

Chaska residents have taken to social media in recent weeks to post photos and videos of the male emu that has been wandering loose in the city since it escaped from Wendy and Warren Peiffer's farm about two months ago.

Ryan Pederson said the emu dropped by his family's Chaska home on Friday.

"I was deer hunting, but my family all saw it," Pederson told KSTP-TV. "It wandered around our backyard and picked some stuff off the ground. The dogs were going crazy. Then it disappeared into the cornfield."

"The kids were pretty surprised. You don't see a bird that size come right up to your door very often," he said.

Pederson posted a photo of the flightless bird's visit to Facebook.

The Chaska Police Department said it has only received one report of an emu sighting in the area, but there have been many sightings posted to social media.

The Peiffers are asking any witnesses to contact them so they can attempt to tranquilize and capture the bird without injury.

The loose emu saga is playing out only about 60 miles from Becker, where an emu named Dork has been on the loose since April.

Dork escaped from owner Tom Berry's yard when a fallen tree damaged a fence. The emu has since become a social media celebrity, with a local fan page filling up with photos and videos of his public appearances.

"He was last seen the middle of last week near the train station in Big Lake," Berry said. "But we have no reports of sightings since."