BARNSTABLE, MASS. (WHDH) - An emu made a break for it in Marston Mills. The bird named Walter left the Olde Homestead Farms on Sunday while his owners were away.

Joan Spiegel and Russell Gianmarco say they only knew that Walter had escaped when they got an emergency alert that someone in town had seen an emu.

“We were an hour and a half away, drove as fast as we could and alerted all the outlets,” Spiegel said.

The couple and their son posted, asking if anyone had seen the emu.

“We had sightings and then more sightings,” Spiegel said.

Eventually, the tracked it down in Clifford Circle in Sandwich where their son was able to re-capture the bird.

“After traversing a bunch of golf courses and wooded areas, he was able to sort of sit on him and subdue him after he got really tired, so then we hooked him up, put him in the trailer, and got him home safely last night,” Spiegel said.

Spiegel and Gianmarco say Walter is a little over a year old and came to them from Maine. He lives on the farm and people often come by to watch him run and play.

They say Walter’s journey took him all over town.

“I know that he traversed people’s backyards and pond areas,’ Gianmarco said. “He ended up like three miles, four miles from here… I know there were some issues with some neighbors, cars, etcetera that had gone by him and he’s run away so he didn’t really stay in one place for very long.”

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