Blue the Emu Runs Down US 41 In Michigan’s Upper Peninsula

Having traveled from Mid-Michigan to Houghton a time or twenty, I can tell you that US 41 is one of Michigan's more scenic yet sparse highways. The main artery for north and southbound traffic going in and coming out of the Keweenaw Peninsula gets a lot of traffic. Still, it's not often you see an enormous emu commuting...in April...down a snow-lined highway in the Upper Peninsula. But it happened, and thanks to Facebook, we have the video.

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I first saw MLive's report on the escaped emu named Blue ("You're just a flightless bird!") taking a jog on US 41 near Skandia, Michigan, just north of Devooght's General Store, and the video posted by Amy Waldo, who captured the footage on her way to Marquette.

"He's an Escape Artist"

WLUC spoke with Blue the Emu's owner, Aaron Prisk, who replied to Waldo's original post and sent help to catch the bird, said that this isn't the first time he's 'flown the coop.' He was in Marquette at the time and family promptly caught the huge flightless bird.

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According to Back Yard Chicken, emus are native to Australia, so they're accustomed and built to survive in the freezing, snow-filled, long-lasting winters UP residents endure.

Stop Me if You've Heard This One: So an Emu Goes to the Upper Peninsula...

Obviously, emus aren't a native species in Michigan, but Prisk needed something to keep himself busy after serving in the military, so, logically, he reached out to a man in Jackson, Michigan, and purchased Blue, along with two other giant birds named Spaz and Yoshi.

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So, the next time you're heading for the northernmost point in Michigan on US 41, and you see an emu, don't worry. That's just Blue out for his afternoon escape.