Escaped Essex emus arrive at veterinary practice car park

Clients at a veterinary practice were left "hiding in their cars" from a pair of emus on the loose in its car park, the manager has said.

The large birds appeared to self-refer themselves at EdgeWood Veterinary Group's surgery in Purleigh near Maldon, in Essex.

The pair were taken to Maldon Promenade Petting Zoo as a temporary home.

Dini and Blu's owner Lucia Muralyi said she "cried and cried" when she was reunited with the daring duo.

It followed a chaotic series of events at the practice in Chelmsford Road.

The feathered friends arrived at the practice, managed by Nicola Watson, on Tuesday, and Ms Muralyi collected them from the petting zoo on Wednesday.

"We had been going about our normal day and then these two birds come wandering through our car park," Ms Watson said, speaking to the BBC.

"They wandered out the back and then through our garden, and then went out to where all our clients are and were terrorising our poor clients in their cars.

"We had to rally them back round because they were causing a little bit of mayhem out the front for our clients and they were a little bit scared of them.

"Some of them were hiding in their cars, while some were running across the car park to get into the building."

The partner of a nurse at the surgery helped to pen the emus in before they were taken to the petting zoo.

Ms Muralyi said the emus escaped after blustering winds blew down their enclosure at her home in Purleigh on Monday.

"I cried and cried and I had sleepless nights ever since. I was out until dark and just kept looking," the owner said.

"I nearly gave up. I thought I was going to find their dead bodies somewhere."

She added: "I thought something happened to them because they are very fragile and they are clumsy animals, they are not the smartest.

"They are going to get a nice treat when they get home."

Follow East of England news on Facebook, Instagram and X. Got a story? Email [email protected] or WhatsApp 0800 169 1830