Kent charity fined over escape of 'ladies' man' emu

An animal charity has been given a £100 fine after a "ladies' man" emu escaped.

Dugee broke out of The Happy Pants Ranch in Bobbing, Kent, on 4 January, prompting a fine from Swale Borough Council for failure to comply with a community protection notice.

The bird was on the run for 30 minutes but only made it as far as the field "over the road" from the charity.

Founder Amey James said of the timing: "It was typical. I was just grabbing a curry with my mum in Wetherspoons."

While it was not the first time Dugee had escaped, she said the community had not been in danger, explaining: "He is so tame and he likes people so much. He could have wandered miles and miles and miles if he wanted to."

Swale Borough Council has been contacted for comment.

Spirited emus loom large in the British psyche following 1970s TV mayhem in which a dangly-legged, azure-hued puppet got the better of interviewer Michael Parkinson.

As for the curry, Ms James explained: "I left [it] where it was and drove back."

When she arrived at the scene, Ms James said Dugee - whom she described as a "ladies' man" - simply followed her back to the sanctuary on Iwade Road.

Wind had blown down fence panels in an open-air enclosure there, meaning the bird "took his opportunity" to tour the neighbourhood.

Ms James added she had acquired Dugee from someone who bought an emu egg online and hatched it at their home.

Another escaped emu, named Rodney, was spotted on doorbell footage at a property in Loose, Kent, in November.

Police officers were alerted and helped locate the flightless bird in a residential street close to its home.

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