Emmanuel the Emu, TikTok Sensation, Sick With Avian Flu
(CNN) — Emmanuel, the emu who won viral fame on TikTok for his attention-grabbing behavior, is in dire condition after contracting the avian influenza, according to his owner.CNN previously reported on the emu, who rose to fame after his owner, Taylor Blake, began posting videos documenting life on her small farm, Knuckle Bump Farms, in south Florida.
Emmanuel repeatedly interrupted Blake's videos of other animals to peck at the camera and garnered millions of views in the process.Blake posted a lengthy Twitter thread Saturday, in which she described the "massive tragedy" caused by an avian flu outbreak at her farm.Wild geese flying onto the farm transmitted the virus, she said.
More than fifty of her birds, including three emus, died over the course of three days.Then, on Wednesday, Emmanuel also contracted the illness, she wrote."Currently, he is stable.
His neurological symptoms have subsided but he still won't eat or drink on his own," she wrote. "I am hand feeding him & giving him subcutaneous fluids every 2hrs around the clock."He is a fighter and I wholeheartedly believe he is going to make a full recovery."The emu is suffering from nerve damage in his right leg and foot, Blake said.
