After TikTok user Taylor Blake shared photos of herself snuggling up with Emmanuel the emu, who has contracted bird flu, fans and bird flu experts alike warned of the dangers of touching infected animals.
Blake’s videos of Emmanuel went viral this year, racking up millions of views on TikTok and boosting the emu’s notoriety. But Blake announced Saturday Emmanuel became ill after a flock of wild Egyptian geese visited Knuckle Bump Farms, the South Florida hobby farm where the emu lives.
Geese and other species of waterfowl are carriers of bird flu and can transmit the virus through saliva, mucus and feces.
Blake said on Twitter that the virus killed 99% of the birds on her farm, including chickens, ducks, geese, turkeys, female black swans, and other emus popular with her TikTok followers. Her most recent photos show her hand-feeding Emmanuel, giving him fluids and kissing him on the head.
The images and updates prompted some followers to point out that while Emmanuel’s illness is worrying, it’s also alarming to see the emu and his caretaker snuggling given the dangers of the virus.
“Look, we all love Emmanuel the emu, but he has bird flu. It is transmissible to humans and other animals.” wrote one Twitter user. “And it’s deadly. The very last thing that owners should do with other birds and animals in their care is kiss their face.”
Bird flu experts also said it’s not advisable to touch an infected emu because, in rare cases, the virus can spread from animals to humans.
“Keep [Emmanuel] away from humans and other birds or mammals would probably be the most responsible behavior,” said Nichola Hill, an ecologist at the University of Massachusetts Boston.
Blake did not immediately respond to a request for comment. she told her supporters on Sunday that their farm is in a 150-day quarantine, with strict hygiene procedures including washing hands and feet before and after contact with the animals.
She said that Emmanuel is “completely isolated” but that she doesn’t wear a mask around him because he “freaks out” and she didn’t want to add any more stress.
The farm was “fully compliant with the state,” She wrote.
H5N1, the current strain of avian influenza, is highly contagious to birds and can be fatal to them. It is also spreading to more locations and affecting a greater diversity of species than in previous outbreaks.
More than 47 million poultry birds and nearly 3,000 wild birds have been infected in 46 states since January, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Cases have also been recorded in red foxes, bobcats, otters, skunks and a dolphin.
“It’s spreading in all sorts of species, including mammals, which gives me a little pause for humans,” said Maurice Pitesky, an epidemiologist at the University of California’s Davis School of Veterinary Medicine. “Once an avian virus can spread to mammals, we’re now in the realm of ‘Yeah, we better be careful.'”
Experts said the risk of a keeper catching bird flu from a single animal is small, but the virus regularly mutates and could evolve to better spread to humans over time. Two new cases of H5N1 have been documented in humans: an asymptomatic individual in England who was raising birds and an inmate in Colorado who was culling poultry.
“In fact, in the past we have never had direct transmission from a wild bird to a human. So if there had actually been a shift or transmission from the emu to its owner, who is clearly very attached to it, that would be a first,” Hill said.
dr Jim Wellehan, an associate professor at the University of Florida’s College of Veterinary Medicine, has his own pet emus. He said some evidence suggests H5N1 spreads more through feces than respiratory droplets. But still, Wellehan said, “that’s not to say that cuddling a bird with a virus is ever a good idea.”
If people must have contact with infected animals, they should wear personal protective equipment such as masks and gloves.
Pitesky recommended everyone who works closely with poultry also get vaccinated against influenza.
All three experts said scientists are closely monitoring this bird flu, although the risk to humans is low.
“This virus is being watched because it’s considered a pandemic risk, which means we’d be in trouble if it could ever gain the ability to be transmitted from person to person,” Hill said.
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