Vero Beach, Florida
Adam
Farkle | Forest
Dorothy | Rose | Blanch
All of our Emus have come to us at different times and for different reasons, mostly due to owners who were simply unable to properly care for them. Dorothy, Rose, and Blanch are estimated to be 4 to 5 years old and arrived at Critter Haven together. You may have noticed they are named after the characters from 'The Golden Girls'.
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Adam and Farkle are also around 4 to 5 years old and like the other birds, they weigh approximately 70 lbs. which means they eat a lot. The food cost for these six birds alone can get steep which is why donations are so important. Forest is our youngest Emu at just under 3 years old and his story is truly inspiring.
A local chicken breeder had hatched Forest from an egg but due to poor incubation temperature, he was born with splayed legs meaning he couldn't stand or even bring his legs together. You can see in the picture his inability to stand compared to his sibling. Luckily if this is corrected early enough they can go on to live a normal life.
The owner, not able to attend to this ailment properly though, was going to have him put down. One of the breeder's customers took the bird instead of seeing it put down but soon realized she had no idea how to take care of an emu so she contacted us. We took the little guy at around 5 days old.
We worked with him for about a year taping his legs together exercising him daily. Even as he got bigger we would have to bring him outside in the morning and back inside at night, until finally he could walk perfectly normal again and can spend his life enjoying it rather than suffering through it.
We Need Your Help
Critter Haven has been primarily funded by its founder Gary Brady since it began over twenty years ago. With additional funding from generous donors, we have been able to sustain the substantial cost that comes with caring for these amazing animals.
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Despite these contributions, we are still in need of all the help we can get. With the licensing, food purchases, medical equipment, and medication, the costs add up quickly.
Every dollar you donate will help keep the animals at Critter Haven fed, healthy and happy for years to come.
