Emu released by Irma found after four days on the loose

Sept. 29 (UPI) -- A Florida woman said her beloved emu has been found four days after damage from Hurricane Irma allowed him to escape.

Betty Carter, 74, said in a Facebook post Friday morning that Tweetybird, the emu she has kept as a pet for 15 years, has been found.

She did not give details on how the emu was found, but she said he was expected to be home Friday afternoon.

Carter earlier asked the public to be on the lookout for Tweetybird after he failed to show up for his morning meal on Monday.

"I come out and I stand there and I call Tweetybird and he comes to feed, and he didn't come up," Carter told WKMG-TV.

She said Hurricane Irma caused damage to her fence that may have allowed the flightless bird to escape.

"It broke down all the trees out here and everything, and I guess that's how [the emu] got out somehow," Carter said. "I really love him."

Carter's Facebook post seeking help finding the emu resulted in numerous reported sightings, including at least one video of Tweetybird running down a road by the Seminole State Forest.

Carter said there was another reported sighting Thursday night in a resident's yard. She said she and her grandson planned to visit the location Friday morning.

"I just miss him," Carter said. "He's about all I've got left."