Beloved Emu At Turtle Back Zoo Dies, Will Be 'Greatly Missed'

WEST ORANGE, NJ — Sheila may be gone, but she won’t be forgotten.

On Thursday, the Turtle Back Zoo in Essex County announced the death of its beloved emu, Sheila. The zoo left a touching message about the departed emu on social media:

“Turtle Back Zoo is deeply saddened to share news on the passing of our beloved emu, Sheila ... Sheila was 20-years-old, and for the 10 years she lived at TBZ, she impacted every keeper that was fortunate enough to work with her. Sheila was a great representative for the largest native bird to roam Australia. Although common in Australia, nothing was common about Sheila’s inquisitive nature. Sheila was a large bird with a big personality, and her expressive eyes and kind disposition made it easy to love her. Sheila will be greatly missed by staff and everyone in the Turtle Back Zoo community.”

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