Sure none of us would recognize ‘genus Dromaius’ - the largest bird native to Australia and the only extant member of the genus – unless we know its common name ‘the Emu’.It is the second-largest extant bird in the world by height, after its ratite relative, the ostrich. Emu is common over most of mainland Australia.They have long thin necks and legs. Emus can travel great distances at a fast, economical trot and, if necessary, can sprint at 50 km/h (31 mph) for some distance at a time.
Is it a distinct trait of the State – to get lured by fast promises, put all their money and then cry hoarse when they are cheated ? -Why don’t people realize that ‘you can never get any unrealistic % of yield in any business’ and that one should only do the business which is known to them or atleast the one which they can understand – and not leave things to others and then blame the others for not paying !What else and how can people wait – they went in large numbers lured by the advertisements in Coimbatore, with no exception in Krishnagiri, Pollachi, Mettupalayam, Tirupur, Perundurai, Dharapuram and Salem – all dreaming it to be a viable option.The farms and vacant lands were soon turned to Emu farms with security deposit and investment raised either from farm money or by loans at a high % of interest. ~ Public memory is so short that they perhaps have forgotten in 5 years. Those were the days when people from Agriculture, to Spinning and textile mills – all requiring knowledge and labour, got lured and ran after Emu rearing believing it to be an easy paying option and shortly reality slapped them on face ..the economies of scale also hurt – as reportedly the meat price came down heavily with more emu meat available in the market.The oil processing and other industrial ventures would remain only in newspaper advertisements.It was a bubble waiting to burst ! – people have invested in cine-field; finance companies termed as ‘blade companies’; multi-level marketing not selling any product but asking them to enlist more people in chain; and many other similar activities. It was the turn of thousands offarmers, to getlured by private firms – and they promptly lined up, queuing up to invest in emu farms in Salem and Erode in the hope of making a quick buck, investing life savings or borrowing money to start a business. Within a few months, farmers started complaining that they were suffering losses and were being cheated. There had beenadvertisements in television channels and newspapersoffering freebies and mentioning ‘rag to riches’ stories and people started investing without knowing ‘what Emu was’ and the ‘nuances of Emu farming’.They got carried by empty prattles of some Firms offering the chicks and buying the same back at a higher price after a few months !!- they believed that emus would grow big, inturn making them richer, which was not to happen……….They got carried by the offer of Emu Farms,demandingRs 1.5 lakh as deposits and the promised return ofRs 6,000 per month for three years and – as a freebie,a gold coin. .. .. .. and more easily gullible with star actors who preach wisdom in their speeches endorsed this product. Emus use their strongly clawed feet as a defence mechanism. Their legs are among the strongest of any animals, allowing them to rip metal wire fences. They are endowed with good eyesight and hearing, which allows them to detect predators in the vicinity. The plumage varies regionally, matching the surrounding environment and improving its camouflage. Males and females are hard to distinguish visually, but can be differentiated by the types of loud sounds they emit by manipulating an inflatable neck sac. It was claimed by the sellers that Emus are raised throughout the world, can adaptto a variety of conditions ranging from the cold winters to the extreme heat and that they liveup to 40 years. In a first of its kind case in Tamil Nadu, well known Tamil actors Sarathkumar and Sathyaraj, both brand ambassadors of Susi Emu Farms in Perunduraireportedly were booked on charges of “criminal conspiracy.” The film stars had appeared in advertisements endorsing the fancy schemes of the firm which later defaulted several crore rupees due to thousands of depositors from various parts of the State. Emu after all is a flightless bird – but can run much faster, performing the vanishing act along with the money invested on it.Elsewhere in Barcelona, the emu was not lucky – as Spanish police accidentally killed an escaped emu after chasing the animal through the streets of a Barcelona commuter town. The emu reportedly died 'from stress' after being followed by police on motorbikes, who later pinned it down on a street corner.