Law enforcement officers recently helped detain an escaped emu in Grant, Minnesota, after the large, flightless bird apparently confused a frisbee golf net with a mate.

The escape artist emu, whose name is Erasmo, climbed a fence and entered the backyard of the Cedar Ridge Treatment Center on Thursday, May 4. According to his owner, Jaime Benner, there was a frisbee golf net in the center that Erasmo may have confused with a potential mate. She later joked to the Star Tribune that the net resembled a lady emu “if you squinted your eyes just right.”

Washington County Sheriff’s Office deputies responded to the reports of an emu on the loose at around 7:44 a.m. and were able to corral the large bird.

“Yes, that’s an Emu. He got loose this morning in Grant and Deputies located it — just hanging out with a homeowner eating apples. Looks like this guy was super friendly,” the department posted on Twitter.

Thanks to the efforts of law enforcement, one of Benner’s employees was able to promptly return the bird to the safe confines of his home at the Idylwood Equestrian Center.

Benner said that Erasmo had been showing signs of restlessness and pacing anxiously along the fence for a few days prior. She adopted Erasmo after he was previously abandoned on another farm, a victim of neglect.

Currently, Benner cares for three rescue emus and two ostriches on her horse farm, along with a rooster and a pig. “These birds live like show horses,” she proclaimed, explaining how they have their own stalls and a large field to run in.

According to Benner, emus are a delightful bunch — “sheepish and awkward” in the most endearing way possible. “We’ve never had a bad emu moment,” she chuckled. “I’m kind of surprised more people don’t have them.”