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Internet Sensation Emmanuel the Emu Dealing With Brutal Illness After Bird Flu Hits Farm

The internet’s favorite emu, Emmanuel the Emu, has sadly gotten sick. Emmanuel’s farm was hit with a bird flu, which is affecting him.

The emu went viral on TikTok, along with the others on the farm. The account, knucklebumpfarms, is run by Taylor Blake. She began sharing videos on the farm, and many people took to the animals and love the content.

Blake took to her Twitter to share the sad news that has happened recently on her farm. In the tweet thread, she explained that she has taken time to process and grieve, and explained what has been going on. Egyptian Geese have flown onto her farm, and while this may not seem like a big deal, she explains: “Not many people are aware of the dangers that wild birds pose to domesticated birds. Wild birds carry and transmit a deadly virus known as Avian Influenza. Our farm was heavily impacted by wild geese bringing in AI, and we lost 99% of the birds on our farm.”

“(It’s relatively impossible to vaccinate for AI because there are so many mutated versions of the virus. We have been in contact with the state and have followed all protocols. They believe all of the standing water after Hurricane Ian made the virus run rampant),” she wrote. “I lost Emily, Eliza and Elliot. The virus hit them extremely hard and very quickly. I tried my best to save them, but I was unsuccessful.”

Blake shared that they have lost all of their geese, both of their female black swans, and both of their turkeys.

She then said that while they thought things were getting better, Emmanuel went down this past Wednesday.

Emmanuel the Emu In Bad Health After Avian Influenza Hits Farm

“I will do anything and go into any amount of debt to save his life. My vet came out and was able to sedate and stabilize him until I could find an avian specialist. I have been treating him around the clock since Wednesday,” she shared.

The main issue he has at the moment, according to Blake, is nerve damage in his right leg and down to his foot.

“[My girlfriend and I] put our brains together and built Emmanuel a sling so that we can start physical therapy with him, in the hopes that he will regain function of his right foot/leg. We have been tweaking and perfecting it over the last 48hrs,” she wrote in the thread.

She said that although the past few months have been traumatizing, she has learned a lot from it.

“It seems like I haven’t been able to catch a break these past few months, but I am so incredibly blessed. I have so much gratitude in my heart that Emmanuel is still alive. That he is fighting. That my best friend is making a comeback. I am going to be ok, we are going to be ok!” she said.