Tourists at 'right place, right time' find emus swimming in WA river

Tourists visiting Western Australia's Murchison River stumbled upon a peculiar sight: a group of emus swimming in the river. A viral video on social media, which has garnered over five million views, captured the emus as they bobbed their long necks through the water as they made their way to shore. The footage was taken by Kalbarri Cruises owner Tracy Grosvenor, who was on a regular tour of the river.

As they approached the turnaround point, Grosvenor noticed four emus swimming across the Murchison. The river, the second-longest in the state at about 800 kilometers, is home to hundreds of bird species. While Grosvenor and her husband Grant have observed emus near the river's edge before, this was the first time they had witnessed them swimming.

The unexpected scene delighted the tourists who were visiting the region. "Everyone was so excited. We all ran up the front and the boat sort of tipped nose down," Grosvenor recalled. Social media users quickly commented on the resemblance of the scene to a popular Scottish folklore, joking about it possibly being the Loch Ness Monster or swimming elephant trunks.

Wildlife carer and vet nurse Jaydene Bartley explained that emus often swim to keep themselves cool during the hot summer months and to clean their heavy down feathers, which help them cool off in the summer and aid in cleaning. She noted that while the behavior is common in the north of Western Australia, where temperatures can reach 40 degrees Celsius, it is also seen throughout the state when there are puddles of water around.

Bartley emphasized that emus are strong swimmers and frequently cross large bodies of water to find food, especially during warmer days when food sources are limited.