As the community buzzed about the wandering emu found on Hillside Drive near the Woodlawn subdivision, we covered the story, asked Oxford police officers to tell us about catching the bird and reported it back to you over the weekend.

We love hearing news like this — a lost animal is caught, unharmed, by local policeman and returned to a better home. And what a surprising, and fun, piece of news to hear that a tame and friendly emu from Old Sardis had wandered all the way to the streets of Oxford. The bird even successfully crossed Highway 6 near the West Jackson Avenue intersection, stopping traffic to get to the other side.

We thank the Oxford Police Department, and officers Cody Pruitt, Ryan Baker and David Misenhelter, for their work in catching the animal, finding a local farm that houses emus, and asking them if they would take in the bird. We are glad the farm agreed to take the emu, removing the animal from our streets and giving it a home.

We’re also glad we can count on our local policeman to not only take care of the people in our community, but our animals and lost pets as well.