Tom Berry, the Becker owner of Dork the Emu, got a call Saturday afternoon that a homeowner had his beloved animal cornered in his backyard in the City of Big Lake. 

 

Berry immediately called the Sherburne County Sheriff’s Dept. and asked if they could spare a couple of officers to help him corral the big bird.

 

Dispatch told Tom no deputies were available, but said they’d contact Big Lake Police to see if they could assist.

 

All the while, Dork ran around the yard, looking for a way out of his dilemna. You see, he had been on the run since Easter and his domestication instincts had worn away and as of the last few months — was now an animal in the wild.

 

That didn’t stop Berry from trying to bring the bird back home safe to his property. His insurance meant he was still responsible for the bird and any damage he would inflict on property or people.

 

Emus are a beautiful species of bird and appear to be quite friendly (which when tame, are), but a wild one roaming downtown cities can be a hazard and many people worked very hard to return Dork to his home in Becker.

 

Since last Easter, when Berry’s fencing around the pen that held the Emu collapsed after a storm, Dork has been followed like a mythical creature with sightings coming from all over the area in the likes of Bigfoot and the Loch Ness Monster.

 

People have been enthralled with Dork’s adventures over the months and his infamy has grown across the globe, thanks to news reports, articles and social media. Followers from as far away as Texas, Georgia, California and even across the pond, have reached out to Tom and his family with their well-wishes and hopes for a reunion.

 

By the time Tom showed up in the Big Lake backyard last weekend, there were nearly 10 people holding blankets and sheets to keep the bird trapped along the fencing. As more and more people arrived, Dork grew more and more anxious — looking for a way out of the predicament.

 

You see, Dork seemed to enjoy his freedom — not to say that he didn’t have a nice, comfortable life back in Becker — but it just seemed he found exploring the woods and walking the railroad tracks as a new-found excitement. Some people saw Dork walking in the farm fields and some saw him along the railroad tracks. Some were able to get right up close to him in their vehicles as Dork casually strolled down the shoulder of a rural road.

 

What seemed to capture people’s interest in the big bird was most likely his name...Dork. It’s an affectionate, doleful name that appeared to strike a chord with his many followers. People rooted for this bird like he was one of their own, like he was a brother or a sister or a child. Dork’s name became synonymous with aloofness and needy yet brave enough to break free and be independent.

 

When Tom finally arrived in Big Lake, his task was to get close enough to the bird to throw a pillowcase over his head — to defy its sense of vison and get the bird to calm down. Two Big Lake Police Officers, Sam Norlin and Nic Prigge also arrived and Tom asked for their help.

 

It took a long while, but Tom and the officers were able to wall-in the bird and capture him, but not before Dork got off a few swift and brutal kicks to Tom and his captors. As Dork began to settle down under their control, the bird must have seen an opening in the fence because he quickly wrangled himself off the ground and headed for the hole in the fence. He was again corralled and it took three men to hold his body, his legs and his head until he calmed back down.

 

Dork was part of a pair of exotic birds Tom and his wife, Maureen bought in the late 1990’s from Randy Poirer — a local exotic animal trainer. The Berrys nicknamed the two birds Dork and Geek and they shared part of the family farm with other animals including llamas, miniature donkeys and peacocks.

 

Emus are kept as exotic animals and some are harvested for their meat, their leather, their oils and their fats for perfumes.

 

Emus are curious and typically docile. They are about 10 inches tall at birth, with black and white stripes. As three-month-old chicks, they turn nearly solid black, changing into a tan, brown, and black mixture as adults, some with a bluish neck. The feathers are downy, with no stiff vein running through the center.

 

The mature emu is five to six feet tall and normally weighs 90 to 120 pounds. They are flightless and strong runners, reaching ground speeds of up to 40 miles per hour in short bursts and covering about nine feet in stride.

 

Emus adapt well to temperature extremes from in excess of 100 degrees to below zero. No diseases have yet been diagnosed as common to the species. They can exist on a simple diet and require much water, drinking 2 to 4 gallons daily. They also will play in water or mud.

 

It’s unknown how many Emu ranches there are in Minnesota, but there seems to be a rash of “escapees” lately that are making the news. An Emu on the loose in Chaska has yet to be captured. Another in Perth, MN was captured and taken home.

 

In Big Lake, Tom and his helpers were holding down Dork in a homeowner’s backyard when Tom called out for some lightweight rope. Someone obliged and soon Dork’s feet were tied to prevent any more dangerous kicks or gouges with his claws. They were just getting ready to arrange a transport when another man — a physician’s assistant — told Tom Dork wasn’t moving or breathing.

 

After several moments of waiting to see life, Tom flicked in front of Dork’s eyes to see if he would react, but he was lifeless. Berry thinks the bird must have had a heart attack, which is common for these birds.

 

“While not the best outcome, this was better than finding him splattered all over the road some place, or starving to a slow death,” said Tom via the Facebook page.

 

Many people on social media had harsh remarks for Tom and Kim, questioning why the bird couldn’t be caught and why they weren’t doing everything possible to capture him. Lots of people suggested a tranquilizer, some asked about darting Dork and some chastised law enforcement for not being more involved. Tom took to Facebook to try and answer some of those concerns.

 

“Darting has been discussed before,” he said. “It has to be done when the animal is reasonably calm or it won't work. Then there's a very good possibility that the drug could cause a cardiac arrest. As fast and strong as an Emu is, they are kinda frail.” 

 

Tom said there are other critters that will also have a cardiac arrest also after being darted and that it's not uncommon in the animal world. 

 

“I can assure everyone that Dork was not underfed. He was very fit and weighed about 100 pounds as he should have.” 

 

As far as the police being on-hand during Dork’s capture, Tom chimed in on that.

 

The Big Lake Police were there at my request,” he said. “I knew how strong (Dork’s) legs were and wanted some extra strong hands there to help. It was great to have them there.” 

 

“In thinking back over this adventure, I have met some really cool people. Some have my phone number, it would be cool to meet or talk to them. A huge thank you goes out to the sheriff's office, Becker Police and Big Lake Police for their help.” 

 

Tom also thanked all the people who kept vigilant  and showed heart-felt concern for his bird.

 

“Then there's all the Dork hunters and others that relayed the many sightings,” he said. “Thanks to all. Then there's the behind the scenes administration people and their talents. They are a lot more computer savvy than I am. Thanks guys.” 

 

All throughout Dork’s venture into freedom, Tom’s daughter, Kim Wheeler, administered a Dork the Emu Facebook page which at last count had over 3,500 followers from across the globe. Little did she know the popularity of Dork would grow so rapidly — especially after a local news report came out and it was picked up by the national networks.

 

“It’s really cool to see how Dork’s adventure brought two communities (Becker and Big Lake) together and then see the rest of the world embrace it,” said Kim. “People really enjoyed hearing updates on Dork.”

 

In the beginning, Tom couldn’t wrap his mind around the idea that people found Dork’s escape from his farm as interesting. But as Dork’s legend grew on, Tom could finally see how important it was for Becker and Big Lake to have this unique bird and to call him their own.

 

“My daughter said, it seemed to go from my bird to the communities’ bird and they took it and ran with it,” said Tom. “What’s really great too is all the great people I got to meet and talk to through this whole thing. It sure has been interesting.”

 

After transporting Dork’s lifeless body back home, Tom and his family had a great idea to somehow try and preserve some of Dork’s legacy. They decided to commence a GoFundMe page to raise funds to help pay to get Dork taxidermized and put on display at the Sherburne County History Center. However, after a few days of the fundraising, Kim was given some bad news.

 

“The History Center told me they couldn’t take an animal that is taxidermized because they are not equipped to care and maintain for such a display,” she said. “So, I told the people who donated to take their money back but every single one of them told us to keep it to do what’s best for Dork.”

 

Tom and Kim plan to continue with the GoFundMe page with hopes something can happen to conserve Dork’s heritage. Tom is having Dork put in a freezer for preservation until they decide what to do.

 

Kim said she was contacted by the Science Museum, who is interested in Dork’s body but Kim was unsure what exactly they planned to do with it. She said they might want to display his bones or use the Emu for other purposes.

 

Let’s hope Dork’s remembrance will be more than a stack of bones at an inner-city museum.

 

The GoFundMe page for Dork is at the following website: www.gofundme.com/dork-the-emu.