An emu has been on the run in Kentucky for days. Here's what to do if you see it

A flightless emu remains on the loose Tuesday, says the Pendleton County Animal Shelter in northern Kentucky.

The privately owned emu has been missing for five days, shelter officials said. The bird, second in size to the ostrich, got out after a tree fell on a fence. The emu ran into some especially thick woods and was was last seen running west into the woods on Ky. 22.

Messages left with the bird's owner by the Cincinnati Enquirer have not been returned.

People are asked to call 911 or the animal shelter if they see the emu rather than try to capture it on their own as the bird is scared.

The birds like to guard fence lines, so the hope is it shows up along someone's fence, according to the shelter.

Food and water are not expected to be an issue for the bird, shelter officials said. The birds eat plant seeds, fruits, flowers and young shoots. They also eat insects and small vertebrates when they can find them, according to shelter officials.

If you see the emu, call the owner Melissa at 859-739-0057, the 911 dispatch center non-emergency number at 859-654-3300 or the Pendleton County Animal Shelter at 859-472-5400.

"Don't chase it, and whatever you do, don't try to catch it," said Sally Brown Powell, owner of Honey Hill Farm Mobile Pony Rides and Petting Zoo in Pendleton County. Powell owns two emus, but the one on the loose is not hers.

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Powell said she talked to animal control officers and advised that emus are not aggressive, but can seriously injure a person. 

"They can be dangerous if you try to tackle one," she said. "That leg can be lethal."

Powell said many people in the U.S. keep emus as pets, but that the birds are also kept to use their meat and to harvest their oils for use in products. Powell's emus are at Cedar Point on Lake Erie this summer as part of the petting zoo's regular participation in seasonal exhibits at the amusement park, she said. The petting zoo typically has emus as part of Winterfest at Kings Island, Powell said.

The birds are inquisitive, using their beaks to grab at shiny phones or glasses sometimes, she said. They're also usually friendly and trainable as a pet.

"People who really spend time with them can get them to fetch a ball," Powell said.