DANVILLE, Ill. – There were no film crews, but who could blame some residents in Illinois if the sight of emus running loose made them feel like part of a Liberty Mutual Insurance TV commercial.

Just over a half dozen of the more than 100-pound flightless birds native to Australia escaped June 7 from an emu farm outside Danville in the east-central part of the state.

About half of the 6-foot-tall emus, which can run up to 30 miles per hour and jump six feet high, had been captured as of press time, said Josh Ellis, one of four animal control officers in Vermilion County.

Ellis said one of the emus he helped corner in a yard was about to climb a fence when tackled from behind by the owner, who was notified after each reported sighting.

The owner then goes out to where it was spotted and tries to capture it with help from animal control in many cases.

Ellis said animal control officers have also been keeping their eyes out for the stray emus. “While on patrol, if we see one, we’ll stay in the area to keep an eye on it until he gets here,” he said.

He said the emus were able to escape when flooding caused by heavy rains washed away a fence at the farm, which also lost at least one barn to the high waters.

Ellis said the emus ventured about a “mile or two” away from the farm on Winter Avenue since their escape and seem to be staying relatively close to each other because most of the sightings have been less than a quarter mile apart.

The other sightings haven’t been much further away. “They’re all rather close together,” he said.

Four years ago, Ellis said a similar number of emus got loose from the same farm due to an act of vandalism.

One of the emus, nicknamed “Lady Emu,” wasn’t captured for about two years.

Authorities are advising members of the public who spot an emu to contact the authorities and not approach the animal to avoid the potential for harm.

Rhonda Belden, who has nine emus on her farm outside Indianapolis, said emus are not likely to attack but could retaliate in response to human aggression or feeling threatened.

They have no teeth inside their beaks, but emus do have sharp claws on their feet and kick forward with their powerful legs.

“They do have talons on them so if they got ahold of you, they could definitely put the hurt on you,” she said.

However, Belden described emus who’ve had regular contact with humans as very friendly and sometimes they act cuddly or wait to be petted by whoever is nearby.

Other emus, still acting on their instincts from the wild, are more likely to simply run away from humans.

“They’re not going to come chase you down like a dog that’s going to attack somebody. They’re going to try and just get away from you,” she said.

Belden raises emus for meat and oil. Emus are becoming a more popular choice for farmers looking to diversify their operations by meeting the demands of a niche market.

The meat from an emu is similar in texture and taste to high end beef.

“There’s a lot of people out there that have them just as pets. We have them as livestock. It tastes like red meat,” she said.