Wednesday morning got a little surreal for Barnstable police, who found themselves chasing a towering bird instead of a typical traffic stop. Neighbors had called in reports of a large bird strutting through yards on Wild Way near Santuit‑Newtown Road, and officers soon identified the wanderer as Walter, an emu kept at a Marstons Mills farm. Police moved quickly to secure the area while a local officer familiar with Walter stepped in to help with the capture. The oddball call wrapped up fairly quickly once Walter was secured and loaded up to head back toward his trailer.
How officers caught Walter
Officers blocked off the street and worked to keep cars and curious onlookers out of the way while crews tried to get close to the big bird. Yarmouth officer Nicholas Giammarco grabbed a rope, followed Walter toward the wood line, threaded the rope through the emu’s harness, and walked him back out to the road. Giammarco’s father showed up with a trailer and bird seed to haul Walter home, according to WHDH.
“I immediately called my dad, who was still asleep, to let him know Walter was on the run again,” Giammarco told WHDH, noting that “he startles easily, so as I began walking toward him and the officers got out of their cruisers he began to run.” Giammarco said he tailed Walter into a backyard and caught up with him at the wood line before guiding him calmly back to the road.
A repeat escape
This was not Walter’s first unsanctioned stroll. He escaped in September 2025 and managed to cross town lines, even making an appearance at a Sandwich golf course before family members tracked him down and brought him back, Boston 25 News reported. That earlier breakout sparked conversations among his owners about possible tracking options and set off a wave of social media posts and neighbor sightings across the Cape. Walter’s latest getaway kept things mostly lighthearted for spectators but also drove home how quickly a bird that size can move through a residential area.
Why a loose emu is a big deal
Emus are not your average backyard visitor. They are large, fast birds, standing nearly 6 feet tall and capable of sprinting at roughly 30 miles per hour, which helps explain why police responded to help contain Walter. Britannica notes that their speed and long legs make them tricky for any one person to handle without backup. For now, Walter is back at his Marstons Mills home, and neighbors say life on Wild Way can return to normal, at least until he decides to test the fence again.
