Emmanuel the Emu: A Story of HPAI Mismanagement
Emmanuel, the TikTok-famous emu owned by Taylor Blake of Knuckle Bump Farms, made national news last month when Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI) hit the farm. According to Blakeâs initial Twitter thread, Knuckle Bump Farms lost 99% of their avian flock- over 50 individuals- in only three days. These deaths were attributed both to the disease itself and to a cull carried out by the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, who did so with Blakeâs permission. Emmanuel and a black swan named Rico were the only two survivors, with Emmanuel left unable to stand, unwilling to eat or drink, and quickly fading. Hundreds of thousands rallied behind Emmanuel on social media as Blake documented Emmanuelâs progress, reaching out to public figures like Dr. Pol of The Incredible Dr. Pol and Bindi Erwin of Crikey! Itâs the Irwins for help when she failed to find any other sources for emu rehabilitation. But soon, controversy emerged.
Early on, avian influenza experts expressed concern that Blake was not wearing any PPE when interacting with a presumably HPAI-positive bird. Avian influenza is transmissible from bird to human which, combined with the virusâ ability to mix genes and rapidly change, means that PPE is universally recommended when dealing with a suspected or confirmed HPAI outbreak.
In response to concerns, Blake explained that âEmmanuel freaks out whenever we approach him wearing a maskâ and that the farm is on a state-mandated quarantine for 150 days, which is the amount of time HPAI is estimated to survive in the environment under ideal conditions. This quarantine reportedly only allowed Blake, Blakeâs girlfriend Kristian Haggerty, Blakeâs family, and veterinary professionals to enter the property. âI have taken every precaution recommended by the FDAâ Blake stated, referencing the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (FDACS) rather than the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).
Many people, including HPAI experts, found this explanation unsatisfactory and instead decided to contact the FDACS and USDA directly. Both the FDACS and USDA work collaboratively to manage avian influenza outbreaks in Florida. Dr. Danielle Stanek of the Florida Department of Health clarified that the DOH can recommend that private individuals comply with CDC guidelines, which includes wearing full PPE when interacting with HPAI-infected birds, but they cannot mandate that they do so. Therefore, Blakeâs decision to forgo PPE was hers to make, even if it wasnât in accordance with the recommendations of the FDACS, CDC, USDA, and Florida DOH.
Just as discourse between experts and Emmanuel fans reached its peak, Blake announced that Emmanuel tested negative for HPAI. Instead, Emmanuelâs sudden decline was attributed to stress. âEmus are incredibly susceptible to stress. He was incredibly overwhelmed by the state coming in and euthanizing our flock . . . He stopped eating the day they depopulated.â His lingering issues- the inability to stand or walk independently, twisted neck (torticollis), continued inappetence and dehydration, and lethargy- were caused by a nighttime collapse that left Emmanuel âthrashing on the ground for hours, trying to get himself upâ. âHe never once had a single symptom of AI, other than not eatingâ, Blake stated.
HPAI symptoms in birds varies depending on the species and the individual. In chickens, HPAI often presents as respiratory and digestive distress, followed quickly by death. In other poultry species, symptoms may also include the nervous system, causing âtremors, twisted necks, paralyzed wings, laying down and pedalingâ. Ratites- referring to the diverse group of keel-less birds that include emus, ostriches, rheas, kiwis, and cassowaries- also tend to develop neurological symptoms. Notably, emus can present with twisted necks (torticollis), ataxia (discoordination), leg and wing paralysis, inability to stand, decreased food and water consumption, purple discoloration or swelling of the legs and head, and lethargy. This corresponds with many of the symptoms Blake has documented in Emmanuel. And it should, considering that Emmanuel did test positive for HPAI.
Test results completed on October 27th, 2022 at the USDAâs National Veterinary Services Laboratories showed that Emmanuelâs serum sample, collected six days after the start of the outbreak, contained antibody levels that were consistent with recent infection.
When Blake announced Emmanuelâs stress diagnosis, she was likely relying on information provided by a rapid test, which can provide results within 48 hours. These tests detect viral proteins that indicate active infection and virus shedding. Serology tests, on the other hand, look for the presence of antibodies produced in response to infection, not necessarily active infection. For an indeterminate number of days prior to the sample collection (October 17, 2022) Emmanuel had an active HPAI infection that, rather than stress, likely led to his rapid decline.
Why, then, was Emmanuel not included in the stateâs cull on Knuckle Bump Farms? An email between Dr. Michael Short, the FDACSâ Animal Industry Director, and Kassandra Curiel of the FDACSâ Office of the Commissioner, answers this question. Dr. Short states that âUSDA guidance is that ratites (emus and ostriches), black swans and exotic pet birds do not have to be euthanized due to lower riskâ. Blake echoes this on her Twitter, when she says that âthe state only focused on the âsuper spreadersâ which are poultry species and ducks. Ratites arenât included because they typically arenât as susceptible.â.
This allowed Knuckle Bump Farmsâ four emus (Emily, Eliza, Elliot, and Emmanuel) and three black swans (two unnamed females and Rico), to be exempted from the cull. I cannot find any reference, either in USDA literature or anywhere else, that supports Dr. Shortâs statement. In fact, all the literature that I reviewed and all the experts I talked to during my research only confirmed the devastating effects that HPAI can have on both ratites and black swans. This, coupled with the fact that three of Knuckle Bump Farmsâ four emus and two of their three black swans died when âthe virus hit them extremely hard and very quicklyâ, calls Dr. Shortâs statement into question.
The USDA was also unable to substantiate Dr. Shortâs statement. When asked how exemptions to culls were determined they explained that, rather than look at individual species, the USDA classifies HPAI-infected domestic birds as either commercial, backyard poultry, or backyard non-poultry. These definitions ascribe risk of potential HPAI spread by determining the level of contact a poultry premise has with other poultry premises. If a private farm or private household, where the poultry does not have any contact with poultry beyond the property, has an outbreak then they are classified as a non-poultry premises, even if they have chickens, turkeys, or other poultry birds. These non-poultry premises can thus be exempted from culling all their birds by being placed on quarantines by state officials, provided that they adhere to the quarantine and continue to not have contact with any poultry facilities. Knuckle Bump Farms does not sell poultry products; therefore, they were classified as backyard non-poultry and eligible for quarantine. The FDACS seems to have added their own interpretation onto this guidance when they specify ratites, black swans, and exotic pet birds as âlower riskâ. I reached out to Dr. Short for comment but received no response.
This isnât the only time Dr. Short and, by extension, the FDACS demonstrated faulty logic. In that same email between him and Curiel, Dr. Short used this comparison to explain why a citizenâs concern about Emmanuelâs exemption from the cull was unfounded.
âI have heard of only one report of a clinically ill human, over the past 1.5 years of a national response to the current avian flu outbreak. The risk of HPAI to the owner is much less than occurred with household pets that tested positive for SARS-CoV-2 (Covid). I am assuming no one would advocate to euthanize all pets testing positive for Covid (At least I have not heard of anyone asking us to euthanize pets).
The risk of avian influenza is constantly occurring with all the wild birds in South Florida. My understanding (not being a human health expert) is the risk to people, especially children and those immuno-compromised at public or private lakes, ponds and waterways from the AI being shed by water fowl is much greater than the sick emu at knuckle bump farm.â
Dr. Ben Golas, a VMD and postdoc with the USGS who is currently working on avian influenza research, weighed in. âItâs a bit like comparing apples and oranges to talk about risk of transmission of COVID vs. HPAI. With COVID, our primary concern is human-to-human contact. [. . .] With HPAI, farm animals are euthanized not only because the disease spreads within the farm flock like wildfire, but also to prevent spreading infection locally to other farms, because HPAI virus can be stable in the environment.â
The CDC agrees. âThere is no evidence that animals play a significant role in spreading SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, to people. [âŚ] Itâs important to remember that people are much more likely to get COVID-19 from other people than from animals. There is no need to euthanize or otherwise harm animals infected with SARS-CoV-2.â When it comes to HPAI, however, they emphasize that human-to-human spread is rare and often limited to only a few individuals. Bird-to-human transmission is the primary method of human infection, with each new infection increasing the risk that a new, more virulent strain will emerge. This, along with the potential for massive bird-to-bird outbreaks that could devastate both wildlife and industry, is why complete depopulation (euthanasia) is standard for HPAI and not COVID-19.
The FDACS seems to be operating on contradicting and unsubstantiated information when it comes to managing HPAI outbreaks. Unsurprisingly, the employees seem equally conflicted in their internal emails regarding Knuckle Bump Farms. One Florida USDA representative noted, while forwarding a citizen concern about Blakeâs lack of PPE, that âher face is real close to a bird that has HPAIâ. Another USDA employee responded âactually, in one of the pictures she appears to be kissing it on the head.â. Dr. Kendra Stauffer of the USDA wrote, â. . . part of the allowing the pet bird to live was that there were rules the owner was to follow from DOH, which clearly she is notâ.
Other employees, however, were eager to show their support. Commissioner Nikki Fried of the FDACS posted a photo of her, Blake, and Haggerty, and later posted a photo of herself drinking Knuckle Bump Farmsâ branded beer while wearing an Emmanuel t-shirt.
Friedâs support generated a lot of concern, particularly amongst local farmers. One Florida emu farmer stated, âmy disappointment and concern is 100% with the actions of Nikki Fried as Agricultural Commissioner to allow some birds to be exempt from depopulation, including emus, for no quantifiable reason. Emus are susceptible to HPAI. Emus in other states have contracted HPAI in this current outbreak and they either died on their own or were put down. Research shows they are susceptible to HPAI, and can spread it to other birds and humans. The decision by Fried and FDACS makes no sense and it sets a dangerous precedent.â
Considering that Blake has over 847.4K followers on Twitter, 938K on Instagram, and 2.4 million on TikTok, the precedent the FDACS and USDA have set here is, indeed, dangerous. Many of Blakeâs followers learned about avian influenza for the first time through her documentation of Emmanuelâs illness and the stateâs response to the outbreak. âI watch for Emmanuel updates every day! This has also been a great lesson for many people in farming education.â, one follower said. Another echoed this sentiment, saying âThank you for taking the time to let us know whatâs going on, and answering questions. You truly are an educatorâ.
Herein lies the problem. Knuckle Bump Farms is a small, backyard operation. Through social media, however, they reach millions. This specific outbreak of HPAI and its subsequent (mis-)management by the FDACS and USDA has now set the standard for many, rather than the exception. Blakeâs public failure to comply with PPE recommendations, the lack of transparency regarding Emmanuelâs true diagnosis, a similar lack of transparency within the FDACS and USDA regarding this outbreak, exemptions to cull protocols made with seemingly no supporting data, and a publicly-elected official openly (and financially) supporting Blake through this process, all pose a serious threat to public confidence in HPAI management and future public health. The concerns of farmers, virologists, public health workers and organizations, wildlife rehabilitators, and animal sanctuaries have been ignored, particularly when they asked whether Emmanuelâs fame and the risk of public backlash led to the FDACSâ decision to leave him and several other symptomatic birds alive. It seems, through this research, that there is more support for this theory than the narrative weâve been provided until now. It is my hope that, with the publishing of this information, the very real concerns raised by people directly effected by HPAI will be given the weight they deserve.
Please take this opportunity to learn about avian influenza from reputable sources:
Protecting Birds from Avian Influenza
Florida Avian Influenza Update (Oct 2022)
A huge thank you to the following experts who generously answered my questions: Dr. Ben Golas, Dr. Jim Wellehan, and Dr. Jennifer Riley.
