Lost emu escapes West Milford, NJ farm; remains missing

UPDATE: After many sightings and tips, the lost emu was spotted and safely captured. Below is the original story about the missing animal.

Lost emu! Yes, you’re reading that correctly.

There is a lost emu in West Milford that goes by the name of Vance.

According to the Lost West Milford Pets Facebook page, Vance disappeared from his family home on Morsetown Road on Monday, June 20.

His human family has been looking for him ever since.

Vance is 3 years old and lives with three other emus on a farm-assessed property, owned by Sandy Cordasco, according to NorthJersey.com.

She said she can’t understand how he could’ve gotten out because he is in an enclosure with a 6-foot high fence. It’s possible something could have spooked or scared Vance but Cordasco said the high enclosure should have kept him from fleeing.

There have been Vance sightings since the escape. According to Cordasco and posted on the Lost West Milford Pets Facebook page, he was almost caught on Thursday, June 23 at around 6:45 p.m. at Cahill Cross. A friend almost had him, but he broke free and ran into the woods.

The trail has gone cold since then, but Cordasco says the good news is that Vance is somewhat still in the area of the farm where he lives, so hopefully he stays in that zone.

The Facebook post warns, however, as per Cordasco, that anyone who sees Vance is advised not to chase or try to catch him. Emus are very strong, powerful, and fast and have the potential to cause injury.

“Some farmers use emus to threaten away predators and advise people not to approach them,” according to NorthJersey.com.

Instead, please call Cordasco at 973-557-3119.

She told NorthJersey.com that Vance likes to eat dog food, insects, leafy vegetables, and fruit.

Jen Ursillo is a reporter and anchor for New Jersey 101.5. You can reach her at jennifer.ursillo@townsquaremedia.com

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