The two were in disbelief Monday after one of two cherished pet emus died amid the chaos caused after someone broke the lock off the birds' pen at the couple's urban farm on Bridge Street East.
The two-year-old emus made their way through the neighbourhood, with police in pursuit.
"You go home and you think, 'OK I tucked them in all good because they're locked up' and then you come back to this and that's the heartbreaking thing for us," Sztrama said.
No one is certain what caused the bird's death. Police said it collapsed in front of officers who were pursuing it.
The couple bought the property about three years ago and care for a number of animals including pigs, ducks, chickens, goats, sheep and a horse. It's zoned agricultural.
They long for a country home and view the approximately one-acre lot as a starter. Even as cars whiz past on Bridge, it feels rural.
The house is undergoing extensive renovations so the couple doesn't live on site yet. They say they left around 9 p.m. Sunday.
A visit by The Record revealed locked, secure pens and fencing around the entire property.
Waterloo Regional Police say the birds made their way through the Kitchener neighbourhood after being let out.
It's uncertain when exactly they were released, but police say they responded about 7:20 a.m. after reports of the emus running loose.
One was located at the Bridgeport Sportsfield.
The other died and was removed by Kitchener-Waterloo Humane Society officials, the owners said.
Sztrama and Vautour now fear the other emu will die too from the stress of the incident and losing its partner.
It sat listlessly in the back corner of its pen Monday evening as Sztrama stroked the bird's head. It has some minor scrapes and cuts from the adventure.
They aren't sure who let the birds out. There have been problems before with teenagers trespassing and drinking. A llama was once let loose and the house on the property broken into.
"I catch people here feeding bologna sandwiches to the animals," Sztrama said. "It's ruining it for the ones who really appreciate it."
Vautour said the animals were likely spooked from their pen by whoever cut the lock.
"I don't think they would go out on their own — they don't want to," he said.
Jamie LaFlamme, operations manager with the Kitchener-Waterloo Humane Society, said the couple won't be fined for having an animal at large.
"(Typically) there would be a charge but based on what we have gathered the owner was actually able to corral the emu and bring it back home so in this particular case no harm, no foul," he said.
Vautour said the couple will be billed $100 for the emu's cremation.
Security cameras will be installed and fencing around the property improved. The couple hopes this incident will discourage others from causing trouble.
"I'm not going to give up — that's our life, that's how we want to live," Sztrama said.
Emus are large flightless birds, second only to the ostrich in size. They can grow to be five to six feet (1.5-1.9 metres) tall, and weigh 65 to 120 pounds (30-55 kilograms). They can sprint up to almost 50 km/h, and leap straight up to a height of more than two metres (seven feet) on their strong, clawed legs.
(The Record - Apr 21, 2014)
No comments:
Post a Comment