{"id":3228,"date":"2026-06-01T18:01:19","date_gmt":"2026-06-01T18:01:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/houstonmovingjournal.com\/?p=3228"},"modified":"2026-06-01T18:01:19","modified_gmt":"2026-06-01T18:01:19","slug":"emu-causes-traffic-back-up-hours-long-pursuit-on-maryland-highway","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/houstonmovingjournal.com\/?p=3228","title":{"rendered":"Emu causes traffic back-up, hours-long pursuit on Maryland highway"},"content":{"rendered":"

SALISBURY, Md.<\/strong> – <\/span>An escaped emu brought traffic to a crawl and led Maryland State Police on a lengthy pursuit over the weekend after the large flightless bird wandered onto a highway outside Salisbury.<\/p>

Read more Nancy Guthrie likely targeted by local worker who assumed family was wealthy, says veteran investigator<\/a><\/p>

According to Maryland State Police, troopers responded to reports of the runaway emu on the Salisbury Bypass at approximately 10:50 a.m. on Saturday, May 30. What followed was an unusual chase that lasted more than three hours as officers attempted to safely capture the bird.<\/p>

Emu causes traffic back-up on Maryland highway<\/h2>
<\/div>

Big picture view:<\/p>

Video recorded by James and Natalie Binder shows the emu striding along the shoulder of the highway while a state trooper cautiously approaches.\u00a0<\/p>

Despite multiple efforts to contain it, the bird repeatedly evaded capture, prompting a prolonged pursuit along the busy roadway.<\/p>

\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n

The escaped emu held up traffic and led police on a hours-long pursuit on a highway outside Salisbury, Maryland, on Saturday, May 30. (Credit: James & Natalie Binder via Storyful)<\/span> <\/p> <\/div><\/div>

Around 1:30 p.m., the emu was struck by a vehicle while attempting to escape. Fortunately, authorities said the bird was not injured and continued running.<\/p>

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Troopers finally brought the pursuit to an end at about 2 p.m., telling video licensing company Storyful that they\u00a0“were able to catch the emu with a dog leash.”<\/p>

The emu was returned to its owners. No injuries to motorists, troopers, or the emu were reported.<\/p>

Emus can run up to 30 mph<\/h2>

Local perspective:<\/p>

The emu is a large, flightless bird native to Australia. It is the second-tallest bird in the world, surpassed only by the ostrich, according to the Brookfield Zoo in Chicago.<\/p>

RELATED: <\/strong>Emu and dogs have a blast playing chase at Florida farm<\/strong><\/p>

Emus are uncommon in the United States. While not endangered in their native Australia, their U.S. population sits around 12,000 to 13,000 birds spread across roughly 1,500 small-scale farms, zoos, and private residences.<\/p>

Because they can run up to 30 mph and travel across county or state lines, they pose unique traffic and safety hazards.<\/p>

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An escaped emu led Maryland state troopers on a three-hour chase, dodged multiple capture attempts, survived being struck by a vehicle and kept running.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":3226,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[233,19,26],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3228","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-maryland","category-u-s","category-wild-nature"],"yoast_head":"\nEmu causes traffic back-up, hours-long pursuit on Maryland highway - Houston Moving Journal<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/houstonmovingjournal.com\/?p=3228\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Emu causes traffic back-up, hours-long pursuit on Maryland highway - 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