The missing rhea Betsy is back in her usual place with Martine Veenhoven in Emmer-Compascuum. The South American flightless bird disappeared after the gate of her enclosure was broken open last night. After a search, she was eventually found less than 300 meters from home.
“Martine called me in a panic. Then we started searching with a lot of people,” says her sister Milou Veenhoven. “But such an animal can run 60 kilometers per hour, so where do you start?” The search started at a nearby playground, where Betsy had previously been spotted, but she had since disappeared.
In the evening hours, just before it got dark, Milou’s husband decided to drive to the playground again. And with success: “She was suddenly spotted behind a wall, where we had already searched several times. She had probably been hiding there all afternoon,” says Milou. “She had some blood, so she probably ran into something in a panic.”
“It was also logical that she was there, because otherwise we would undoubtedly have heard something about her before. Such a half ostrich, that is of course not something you see every day. That animal cannot walk from here to Assen without someone noticing her.”
With the help of some food and her owner’s familiar voice, Betsy was eventually captured. “My husband picked her up, threw a blanket over her and together with the neighbor we put her on the bus and took her home. Then it got dark and she calmed down.”
Breaking open the animal shelter still raises many questions. According to Milou, the gate had been broken open on purpose. “There’s a special screw on the gate, so you have to know what tools you need. The gate was bent and facing completely the other way. It looks like someone knew exactly where to be, and what to do. It wasn’t a coincidence.”
An attempt had already been made to release the animals, but they did not run away. “Rheas are night blind. They don’t go anywhere at night. The gate was open then too, but the animals just stayed in the pen. This time it was wide open, and one was gone.”
The motive also remains unclear. “A rhea only costs 75 euros. They don’t have to do it for the money. And it’s of no use on the barbecue either. Nothing was stolen this time, Betsy was just hunted down or dropped somewhere.”
The family has their suspicions. “The strange thing is that you can’t see the animals from the street. My sister never posts anything about it on Facebook. And yet someone knew exactly how the enclosure worked. You would almost think it was someone from the neighborhood or someone you know. It is also very coincidental that my brother-in-law had a night shift both times when the enclosure was broken into.”
But for now the relief prevails now that Betsy is back safely. “She is sitting comfortably in the cage with the other rheas. And luckily my sister is completely free of her stress.”