November 21, 2013

Drought has driven at least 50 emus into the center of the Queensland city of Longreach in Australia in search of food and water. “Out in the paddocks, there is not a lot of food for them, because emus are really seed eaters,” a Longreach official told ABC News. In early November, the Queensland government declared a little over 62 percent of the state officially in drought. During the past year, much of Queensland has received less than 65 percent of its normal average rainfall. Higher-than-normal temperatures have also made surface water harder to find. Numerous wildfires are burning across the state.

The emu is a large flightless Australian bird. It stands about 5 1/2 feet (1.7 meters) high, weighs about 100 pounds (45 kilograms), and has brownish-black feathers. (© Worakit Sirijinda, Shutterstock)

Longreach officials said there are no plans to remove the swift-running birds from the town. “People just have to be mindful when they see them and be careful and give them right of way,” said a police official, “It doesn’t hurt to slow down and let them cross, because they are under a lot of pressure at the moment looking for food and water for their families.”

Additional World Book articles:

• Outback
• Bushfires in Australia