A tall bird with a serious set of legs made an unscheduled appearance on the mountain bike trails at Mitchell Memorial Forest in Cleves this week. Great Parks of Hamilton County staff spotted the emu, since identified as Eddie, wandering the park on Monday, October 19, after he apparently slipped away from a neighboring property over the weekend and beat a path straight for the trails.
A Loose Bird Finds the Nearest Trail
According to WKRC, Great Parks staff tracked Eddie down and returned him safely to his home after he was seen roaming the grounds. The park where he turned up is no small patch of woods: Mitchell Memorial Forest is a 1,625-acre preserve at 5401 Zion Road in Cleves, inside Miami Township, according to Movers & Makers. That gave Eddie plenty of room to roam before staff caught up with him.
The park sits within a much larger system. Great Parks of Hamilton County oversees more than 18,000 acres of open space and upwards of 84 miles of trails spread across 18 parks and four conservation areas in Southwest Ohio, per the agency's own description on greatparks.org. Mitchell Memorial Forest's mountain bike trails, in particular, have seen a surge of attention lately — the park finished a $160,000 skills course and loop trail in November 2025, adding onto the 8.2-mile network that was originally Hamilton County's first official mountain bike trail, the same Movers & Makers report notes. That kind of traffic meant Eddie's wrong turn had a decent chance of being noticed quickly.
Why an Emu Was Loose Near the Park in the First Place
Emus are not everyday backyard pets, but they are not exotic contraband either. Under federal Animal Welfare Act guidance, the U.S. Department of Agriculture classifies emus as livestock when raised for agricultural purposes. The American Emu Association says no license is required when emus are used solely for the listed livestock purposes; emus used in any other way are considered exotics and require a license. The distinction depends on how an emu is used.
Ohio law addresses specific animals and circumstances, including animals running at large on public roads or unenclosed land, rather than putting responsibility on an owner whenever any animal gets loose. Section 951.02 of the Ohio Revised Code addresses specific animals, including geese, rather than poultry generally, and does not list emus; reckless violations involving covered animals are classified as a fourth-degree misdemeanor, per the Ohio Revised Code. Whether that statute comes into play for Eddie's owner has not been reported.
A Fast, Powerful Bird Makes Recapture Tricky
Catching a runaway emu is no small task. Native to Australia, emus are the second-largest living birds, standing up to 6 feet tall and weighing as much as 121 pounds, and they can sprint at speeds up to 30 mph, according to the San Diego Zoo. They also carry some built-in defenses: their powerful three-toed feet are tipped with heavy claws capable of delivering forceful forward kicks if the birds feel cornered or threatened, the zoo notes. Great Parks staff appear to have avoided any such standoff, guiding Eddie back home without incident.
An emu escape in Ohio also drew attention from the Highland County Emu Chat group, per 614NOW. In one incident, deputies used treats to help corral an escaped emu.
For now, Eddie is back where he belongs, and Mitchell Memorial Forest's trails are once again just for hikers and mountain bikers. Eddie was safely returned home.
