Emmanuel the emu DOESN’T have avian flu – he’s just stressed, owner reveals

Florida ranch owner Taylor Blake has revealed that her emu, who rose to fame after being featured in several viral videos she posts on social media, isn’t dying of bird flu and is just stressed.

“Emmanuel Todd Lopez tested negative for bird flu in 2 separate labs, smear, fecal and blood,” she tweeted on Saturday.

Blake recently reached out to Bindi Irwin for help treating her emu named Emmanuel Todd Lopez, but was refuted because Irwin didn’t believe she didn’t have the experience to help.

Fortunately, Blake has revealed that her emu tested negative for the deadly disease and the symptoms that previously plagued him, which DailyMail.com reported, “were all from stress.”

Emmanuel the emu slowly recovered from what his owners now think was extreme stress, but he was unable to eat and drink for days

The roughly 5-foot-8, 120-pound emu represents “a long road” to recovery, Blake said, but insists the lovable animal — temporarily unable to walk due to his condition — is a “fighter”

“He does not have the virus and is not actively spreading the virus. God is good! Thank you for the prayers, kind words and support. Always trust your intuition!’

Blake said Emmanuel was “incredibly overwhelmed by the state that came in and euthanized our herd,” but added that the euthanasia was “necessary” but still “very stressful for him.”

Earlier this month, she shared that she had lost every single chicken and duck, as well as many geese, turkeys and swans.

The farmer, who owns Knuckle Bump Farms in South Florida, explained Emmanuel’s problems and where things started to go wrong.

“He stopped eating the day they were depopulated,” she said.

‘Emus cannot afford not to eat, they are dependent on good nutrition. We didn’t see him drinking either, he isolated himself in the farthest corner of the pasture, so far away from the people wearing hazmat suits,” she continued on Twitter.

After collapsing in the middle of the night because he was “so weak and dehydrated,” Emmanuel panicked and beat around for hours.

Although the flightless bird was too dehydrated for the farmers to draw blood, Blake said “something in my stomach told me this wasn’t the end for him.”

Blake also said her emu “has never had a single symptom of AI, other than not eating, which is often caused by stress in emus.” It was just a very coincidental timing.”

The farmer thanked those who sent “positive thoughts, prayers, and good energy,” but also took the time to thank those who had less nice things to say.

“Thank you to those of you who have nothing nice to say, because it forced me deeper into my faith and made me fight even harder for Emmanuel.”

“He will make a full recovery and I will be with him every step of the way,” she added.

While it looks like the story will have a happy ending for Emmanuel, the emu’s prospects haven’t always looked so bright.

Blake sent a desperate plea to the Irwin clan after she thought Emmanuel had caught the flu.

“I have been a fan of your family for as long as I can remember, I am now looking at you in utter despair,” she tweeted.

She thought her beloved bird Emmanuel was the last bird to get the flu, prompting Taylor to send a desperate plea to the Irwin clan

Bindi responded by saying she couldn’t offer too much support because the Australia Zoo Wildlife Hospital team had never treated birds with avian flu but sent her ‘love and prayers’ to the farm

“I need help saving my emu, Emmanuel. I’ll pay to fly someone over to us if they can help, no questions asked.’

Bindi Irwin replied, “Thank you so much for getting in touch.”

“Although our Wildlife Hospital has treated more than 100,000 animals, including emus, we have never treated an emu with this particular disease,” she added.

‘We will have to call on our fellow animal experts with more experience with this bird flu.’

Bindi continued: ‘Our hearts are with you and we appreciate that you care so much and have such compassion for dear Emmanuel.’