Meet Hellen! Hellen is one of our rescued emus. Her previous owner, a high school boy, raised her from a chick. Unfortunately, she fell and damaged her left leg. When she was taken to a veterinarian, they were unable to repair the damage, causing her leg to grow crooked. As her owner prepared to graduate and go to college, he needed to find a new home for her. That’s how we ended up with her in December.

Initially, we kept Hellen separate from our other rescued emu, Elmo, who is much larger. Despite monitored attempts to introduce them, Elmo reacted aggressively, pecking at her and being generally unfriendly. Over time, Hellen grew and is now almost as big as Elmo. They stopped reacting to each other through the fence, so we decided to try introducing them again.

A few weeks ago, when we put them together, Hellen boldly walked up to Elmo and pecked him on the head. Since then, he has not bothered her. We expanded their enclosure, tripling its size and adding shade trees. They have been getting along very well. They even share a house that a friend made for Elmo last year. Recently, Hellen’s previous owner visited her. Now, both Hellen and Elmo are at home.

Hellen and Elmo

Hellen Today