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South Australian town invaded by mob of hungry emus

The South Australian town of Peterborough has been invaded by a mob of hungry emus.

For ten days they’ve pecked the paddocks on the town’s perimeter, now they’ve gone for the gardens.

Neil Walker, who owns the Peterborough Hotel, said the emus are “just running around town”.

“I was working the bar yesterday afternoon and one just trotted past the window, straight across the main street, did a lap of the rotunda and then it headed down into the lawned area,” Mr Walker said.

The dry summer and autumn’s depleted the bush tucker, putting the mid-north on the menu.

A South Australian town has been invaded by a mob of hungry emus. Source: 7News
A South Australian town has been invaded by a mob of hungry emus. Source: 7News
Neil Walker, who owns the Peterborough Hotel, said the emus are ‘just running around town’. Source: 7News
Neil Walker, who owns the Peterborough Hotel, said the emus are ‘just running around town’. Source: 7News

“And they’re finding a lot of tourists as well, who love it actually. It’s good.”

Good if you own the pub and the caravan park, like Mr Walker, other’s aren’t so thrilled.

“There was a farmer seeding out there, and he had a mob of between 200 and 400 emus in the paddock just eating the seed as he went, so he gave up, he just stopped seeding. There was no point.”

Notorious dopey and clumsy at their best, the desperate search for food has made them even more vulnerable.

A town in SA has been overrun with emus. Source: 7News
A town in SA has been overrun with emus. Source: 7News

“The road kill is always going to happen with emus.

“I had a lady in here last week, on a motorbike, she hit an emu, she hadn’t fallen off, she was in her late 70s the lady, so she was pretty shaken.”

Rain is expected to flush more emus out this week and motorists are advised to beware on the roads.

Motorists have been advised to watch out for the emus. Source: 7News
Motorists have been advised to watch out for the emus. Source: 7News