Taylor Blake and Emmanuel the Emu of Knuckle Bump Farms

TikTok Famous Emmanuel The Emu Is Recovering After Avian Flu Scare

Home / Animals / TikTok Famous Emmanuel The Emu Is Recovering After Avian Flu Scare

By Melanie VanDerveer on November 28, 2022 at 11:00 PM EST

Emmanuel the Emu is on the road to recovery after an avian flu scare in mid-October. The TikTok famous emu with a big personality fell ill shortly after Taylor Blake of Knuckle Bump Farms announced she lost most of her birds to a case of avian flu. After many tests, it was determined that Emmanuel was likely dealing with a high level of stress which caused his illness.

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Taylor Blake and Emmanuel
Knuckle Bump Farms - TikTok
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Taylor Blake Of Knuckle Bump Farms Kept Emmanuel's Fans Updated On Twitter

Blake tweeted many updates on Emmanuel's condition, keeping the beloved bird's fans in the loop every step of the way. She announced that he was negative for the bird flu writing, "Emmanuel Todd Lopez tested negative for Avian Influenza at 2 separate labs, swab, fecal and blood. He does not have the virus, and is not actively shedding the virus God is good! Thank you for the prayers, the kind words, and the support. Always trust your intuition!"

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An update about what could be causing him to be so sick explained that emus are susceptible to stress, and losing the farm's bird population could have caused him extreme stress. "We believe this all stemmed from stress. Emus are highly susceptible to stress. He was incredibly overwhelmed by the state coming in and euthanizing our flock. (Although it was necessary, it was still very stressful on him.) He stopped eating the day they depopulated."

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Taylor Blake and Emmanuel the Emu
Knuckle Bump Farms - TikTok
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Taylor Blake Updated Fans Every Step Of The Way

A recent tweet by Blake explains that they have been doing their best to get Emmanual back to his old self with little information to go by. "This entire process has been such a unique experience, there is no information online to help us. We are figuring everything out as we go and doing our absolute best. I pray that our journey with Emmanuel will help others in the future, none of this will be in vain," she tweeted.

Emmanuel the Emu
Eco Sister - Twitter
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A little over a week ago, Blake tweeted, "Emmanuel has been standing on his own and placing his foot correctly! Yesterday, he even took 2 steps unassisted without flipping his foot. He is starting to hold his neck high and straight whenever he stands and is continuing to make progress. Just so proud of this dude!!" Another update on his progress was shared on November 27, "EMMANUEL TODD LOPEZ IS STANDING ON HIS OWN AND BALANCING FOR UP TO 15 MINUTES AT A TIME!!!"

Taylor Blake Recently Shared The First Update On TikTok In Almost Two Months

Blake has been M.I.A. on TikTok since October 11, but recently posted an update that shows that the popular emu is on the mend and getting better day by day. After the nearly two-month long hiatus to focus on getting her animal friend back to health, she returned to share a video so his fans know he's doing OK.

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Many of the emu's followers popped into the comment section to share their words of encouragement and relief that things are getting better. "Glad you’re back," one follower said, to which Blake responded, "Thank you for saying this it’s intimidating coming back after a hiatus. Comments like this make it easier!" Another fan of Emmanuel's said, "Aww so glad to see your faces again!! ?" And another person wrote, "We miss you guys. I hope he’s much better ???????"

Tons of "welcome back" and "we're so glad he's better" messages flooded the comment section. Many commented on how much they missed seeing the duo. "So glad you’re back. I hope you’ve received many cuddles from Emmanuel," one follower said.

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Taylor Blake and Emmanuel the Emu
Knuckle Bump Farms - TikTok

Emmanuel's Followers Love His Sassy Personality

Emmanuel's TikTok followers know all about his menacing personality and love every minute of it. He loves to get in front of the camera when Blake is trying to create content, so his playful personality can be seen in many of the videos shared. In the last video posted of the emu before tragedy struck the farm, viewers got to experience his sweet side.

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