Strange campground bedfellow

©2012 Lydia Hinshaw

Big Bird has a big laugh

 ANGEL'S CAMP, CA --  You never know what you will run across in a campground.  This is California, after all.
 The campground where we overnighted here last Friday is the residence of an emu known as Big Bird, because that's what he is.  
 A newspaper clipping framed on the wall outside the camp store explains the animal's history.  About five years ago, Big Bird was found on the loose, dodging cars on a local highway.
 For six weeks he (or she) languished in the local animal shelter, but no one came forward to claim him (or her.)
 Word of Big Bird's plight spread, and the owner of the campground finally agreed to take on the flightless fowl.  One of the campground's employees is a bird lover, and was eager to help.  A spacious pen was constructed and all that was left to do was convince Big Bird to move.
 Big Bird had no idea what was going on when four adults appeared at the animal shelter with a horse trailer and began trying to get him to climb aboard.  It took the quartet 90 minutes to load him up.
 There were more physical confrontations when they tried to install him in his pen.  Emus aren't just big, they're strong, and grabbing one is about like steer wrestling, without the horns.
 Nowadays, Big Bird seems content with his home, his regular meals and his curious visitors.  He was not particularly cooperative when I showed up with a camera, however.
 Big Bird lives in Calaveras County, better known for its jumping frogs immortalized by Mark Twain.  Angel's Camp is sometimes known as "Frogtown."       It's official name is not really celestially inspired. Angel's Camp, which has had several other names over the years, is named for a pair of brothers, George and Henry Angel, who established a store here during the Gold Rush days.