W.Va. officials search for elusive emu
By BOB PARTLOW / Staff Writer, Martinsburg
MARTINSBURG, W.Va. - Wanted: one 6-foot tall, 60-pound flightless bird.
Berkeley County animal control officials and others have been trying since Monday to corral an ostrich-like bird called an emu.
The odd-looking animal was first spotted near the Eastern West Virginia Regional Airport near Martinsburg Monday. Concerns were expressed that the bird that can't fly still could become a hazard to navigation, said County Commissioner Robert Burkhart.
Animal control officers couldn't find it near the airport.
On Tuesday, it was spotted near a mobile home park five miles away, said Berkeley County Animal Control Officer Ray Strine.
A resident of the mobile home park "chased the bird for about 2 to 2 1/2 hours," Strine said. That was quite a chore. The bird can't fly, but it can run about 40 miles an hour, Strine said.