Famous TikTok Emu Gets Avian Flu; How Does This Sickness Spread?

Knuckle Bump Farms recently suffered a tragedy when avian flu claimed most of its domesticated poultry. This is after the farm's owner, Taylor Blake, stated on Twitter that 99 percent of her domestic birds were gone. This comprised three emus named Emily, Eliza, and Elliott, as well as geese, ducks, and chickens.

If you recognize this, it's likely because you've heard of the farm from TikTok. Many TikTok users have fallen in love with an emu named Emmanuel Todd Lopez, thanks to his antics. The good news is that, according to Forbes, the iconic bird may be on the path to recovery.

TikTok Star Emmanuel The Emu's Round-the-Clock Care

Emmanuel is more to Taylor Blake than simply a pet. The farm owner believed that the worst was passed and that the disease had left the property, but after a period, Emmanuel began to exhibit symptoms consistent with having caught the avian flu.

Blake said she would do everything necessary to preserve the emu in a tweet. According to her Twitter posts (per CBS News), Emmanuel is stable. The emu is still unable to choose to eat, though. Taylor Blake has been hand-feeding and providing the emu fluid every two hours.

In addition to having a lung ailment, the beloved emu has lost the use of his right foot and leg. They have begun Emmanuel's physical treatment and created an improvised sling for him to help support the leg.

Record Drought-Declared Throughout The State of Queensland

(Photo: Lisa Maree Williams/Getty Images)
LONGREACH, AUSTRALIA - MARCH 19: A emu fondly named 'Stan' is seen during a water run, abandoned just after hatching; he was found while mustering on a neighboring property and was raised and now released by the Walkers onto 'Rio Station' on March 19, 2014, in Longreach, Australia. Queensland, Australia's second-largest state, is currently suffering from its widest-spread drought on record. Almost 80% of the region is now declared affected. The Australian government recently approved an emergency drought relief package of A$320m, of which at least A$280m is allocated for loans to assist eligible farm businesses in recovering.

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Regarding protection, the farm owner said that because there are several altered variants of the virus, it is challenging to immunize the birds against avian influenza.

All they could do was adhere to the rules to stop the virus from spreading further. The state thinks that Hurricane Ian's standing waters may have aided the virus's rapid spread.

How Avian Flu Spreads

The farm's owner, Blake, claims there have been issues with stray Egyptian geese. The inhabitants of Knuckle Bump Farm would drive them away once they flew into the area. There was one incident when around 50 of them arrived at once.

She has also claimed that farmed birds are at risk from wild birds since the latter are carriers and spreaders of many lethal diseases, including avian influenza. No matter how careful the farm owner is, the wild geese will return at night.

The specific H5N1 type A avian influenza virus in the US has proved devastating to birds. According to the US Department of Agriculture, the highly pathogenic avian influenza, or HPAI, has been detected in 42 different states and has infected 47.45 million birds.

Additionally, it was said that once a bird has the illness, it spreads quickly among the flock, and there is nothing you can do to stop it or even slow it down. According to NBC News, Taylor Blake lost more than 50 birds in only three days.