You might know of Emmanuel the Emu, the viral TikTok sensation, from hilarious videos showcasing his silly antics at a farm in South Florida.
But what you might not know is that the animal has been fighting for its life this past week after being sickened with the avian flu, according to its owner Taylor Blake, who has been providing updates on the bird’s status from her Twitter account.
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Blake made her first post about the tragedy that struck her Knuckle Bump Farm on Oct. 15.
Hi friends. I’ve tried countless times to write this post, but it’s been extremely difficult for me. We had a massive tragedy strike the farm, and I have been doing my best to wrap my head around it.
— eco sister (@hiitaylorblake) October 15, 2022
Blake said in the post, “Hi friends. I’ve tried countless times to write this post, but it’s been extremely difficult for me. We had a massive tragedy strike the farm, and I have been doing my best to wrap my head around it.”
The tragedy was that more than 50 birds on her farm died after being affected with the avian flu over the course of three days. And Emmanuel was sickened with the disease on Oct. 12, according to Blake’s post on Twitter.
Blake attributes the outbreak of the avian flu on her farm to an issue with wild Egyptian Geese, which fly into her farm every night.
Blake goes on to document the care Emmanuel was given by medical professionals and to keep his fans updated on his progress in fighting the disease.
On Saturday, Blake described Emmanuel as a fighter, saying she believed the bird was going to make a full recovery.
He has a long road ahead, but I know in my heart that God is healing him. I know all of this won’t be in vain. I know that Emmanuel Todd Lopez will make a full recovery and will continue to spread love, light and joy. pic.twitter.com/3FRp321Z3n
— eco sister (@hiitaylorblake) October 15, 2022
On Blake’s Twitter account you can see the love and care he’s being provided during this time as well as the outpouring of support from Emmanuel’s fans.
The only birds on Blake’s farm to make it were Emmanuel and Rico, a goose, according to her posts.
Thankfully, Emmanuel has shown positive signs of improvement the past two days.
Blake posted to Twitter on Sunday that Emmanuel took a drink of water by himself for the first time since being sick and that she has been working with the bird doing physical therapy to help him improve.
@knucklebumpfarms We’ve been working on self control and boundaries in this pasture! Emmanuel almost let his intrusive thoughts win, but ALAS, he stood strong👏🏻 #emmanuel #emmanueldontdoit #emmanueltheemu
♬ original sound - Knuckle Bump Farms
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