A woman has been labelled crazy after spending more than £250 on a pet Emu named Melvin who now plays football with her dog and cuddles her in bed.
Khayla Borchin decided to fork out on an outlandish pet who now lights up her days.
The 22-year-old dubbed the big bird Melvin Miller after her grandfather, who sadly passed away when she was just nine.
READ MORE: Brazen monkey caught red-handed rummaging through tourist’s scooter seat
- Advertisement -
Sharing her purchase online, her adorable video racked up a whopping 200,600 views and over 16,000 likes.
“He has definitely imprinted on me and doesn’t give my family as much love as he does me,” Khayla told What’s The Jam.
“He will bury his head into me and lean his whole body and neck on me to give me a hug.
“He closes his eyes when I rub his head or his beak and once I start petting him, he just sits down right in front of me for more love.
“I didn’t tell my family that I was picking him up the day I got him.
- Advertisement -
“They knew that I had been looking but when I brought him home, they were all surprised at how tiny he was and we just couldn’t believe he would really get as big as he is now.”
Khayla, who works as a pet groomer, had been researching emus for a while after noticing there were a lot of breeders in her area.
She was captivated by the idea of having a “big bird” as a friend and spent about £258 ($350 USD) on Melvin.
- Advertisement -
Khayla – from Arizona in the US – has owned the feathery fella for the last nine months, watching him grow from a tiny week-old bird to a 5ft winged giant.
Emus can go for weeks without eating, are endemic to Australia and are that country’s tallest flightless bird.
Khayla explained: “Melvin lived in my home in my room with a smaller pin and heat lamp for the first stages of his life.
“Emus have to have a heat lamp until their adult feathers start to come in and I felt better having him inside since I didn’t have a safe space for him outside yet.
“He now has his own enclosure on half of my front yard with a 6ft fence and a safe space, where we put him to bed for the night to keep him safe and dry or cool from the weather.
“Melvin plays ball with my black lab Milo.
“I’ve been letting them play together since Melvin was a little and once Milo comes out to play, Melvin gets excited and chases him around as well.”
Despite having such a positive impact on Khayla’s life, Melvin has caused a stir online.
The pet groomer says that animal-loving Brits flooded her comment section with negative comments – as it is illegal to own an emu as a pet in the UK.
Khayla said: “After Melvin’s video went viral, I did get some criticism from people in the UK feeling a certain way that people in the US can own them as pets and not in the UK.
“Everyone that I have met though or that have seen him think he’s very cool and are excited since they have never seen one in person.
“There are a lot of misconceptions when it comes to owning an emu.
“Some people think they are scary or mean, but Melvin is the best decision I have made when adding a new friend to my family.”
READ MORE: Cute panda plays with phone dropped in enclosure by clumsy tourist
