So Keller grabbed a box of Cheerios.

The 50-year-old oncology nurse at UNC Hospitals started running through the woods, shaking the box to lure the bird. At first, the neighbors thought the bird was his.

After a few minutes, the bird was safely corralled in a neighbor's fenced-in backyard.

Emus, which can reach 6 feet and 150 pounds, can be aggressive.

But this one was docile. It let people pet it.

"It's a fascinating bird," Keller said. "It's huge. If you look at his feet, you'd think you were looking at a dinosaur."

Justin Kennedy, 18, heard an emu was on the loose from his father, who read about in on the Highland Forest Listserv Tuesday afternoon.

"I hopped in my car," the Durham Tech engineering student said. He lived near emus in New Jersey but said, before Tuesday, the most unusual animal he'd seen in the area had been a red fox.

Neighbors were still figuring out what to do with the bird -- an Australian species related to the ostrich -- Tuesday evening.

They thought it might be thirsty, so they gave it a pan of water.

Then, looking at its long neck, they replaced the pan with a 5-gallon bucket.

And yes, he, or she, went for the Cheerios.

"He's actually eating out of the box," Keller said.