Rome Community Devastated As Fort Rickey Reveals Death of Emu After Flooding

After suffering a state of emergency after Tropical Storm Fred flooded the Children's Zoo in Rome, Fort Rickey has some sad news to announce to Central New York.

On Monday August 23rd, they made an announcement on their Facebook page about the loss of a rare emu at the zoo:

Today we lost our beautiful rare white Emu, Olaf. We suspect he died from parasitic exposure from the flood waters. We are treating all of our animals to prevent any further illnesses. We'll miss Olaf dearly He was a very special Emu"

Fort Rickey is home to several emus. The emu is Australia’s largest bird, standing about 6 feet tall, and weighing up to 120lbs. Emus cannot fly but they are fast runners:

Some scientists consider emus to be living dinosaurs because their bones and joints are similar to dinosaurs’. Their ability to store fat allows them to go without food for long periods of time. Emus can defend themselves with tremendously powerful forward kicks.

Tropical Storm Fred left behind several feet of water and truly caused massive issues to the newly reopened zoo. The Stedman's bought the Children's Zoo in Rome back in 2019 from Len and Bobbie Cross who had run Fort Rickey since 1978.

"This flooding is devastating. Lots of hard work and improvements are destroyed. This is the worst yet,"

You can check out some of the fort flooding below:

Located in Rome, New York, Fort Rickey Discovery Zoo offers engaging animal interactions with fun activities for kids of all ages. You can read more online here.