Kentucky Kids’ Hilarious, Yet Horrifying Encounter with an Emu Goes Viral

"We officially went viral overnight!"- Kailee Colburn

And she isn't kidding. Kailee, who lives in Hartford, Kentucky, is the proud mom of three young children, who were celebrating their first day of Fall Break 2023 with a trip to Wilstem Drive Thru Wildlife Park near French Lick, Indiana. That incredibly popular park offers families the chance to get up close and personal with a variety of exotic animals- like zebras, camels, bison, Texas longhorns, and more. Sounds fun, right?

It was at first. Kailie, the kids and their 'Mimi' Sarah, drove into the park and the kids were loving it. So, Kailie decided to roll the windows down so they could feed the animals. That's precisely the moment that, for Easton (4th grade), Ollie (1st grade) and Karaline (3rd grade), the exotic trip up north went south to Hell real quick.

For some context, here's what the kids look like when they're happy and calm. This was taken on the first day of school this year by their Mimi.

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Here's what they look like when they're terrified. See, they had a rather unfortunate encounter with a very determined emu and it was all caught on video. That video just went viral on TikTok.

Michelle Vincent, their 'Nana', wasn't with them for their big, scary adventure.  She says when she first received the video, she watched it with the sound off and it looked really funny. Then, she threw in her earbuds and listened. She admits that she had never heard her grandchildren scream like that before and "it broke her Nana heart."

However, now that she knows that everyone is okay, she says the video is funny and tragic all at the same time. Easton has had time to reflect on the experience and dramatically told his mom and Mimi, "I thought I was going to die."

By the way, it's important to point out that no children or giant birds were harmed in the making of the video. Oh, and after the initial bird attack, the kids actually decided they liked the park. Heck, Kailee even drove them through a second and third time.  Luckily, because Easton rolled up the windows real fast, they didn't have to contend with large, hungry, angry birds again.

So, will the family go back to Wilstem? It appears they will. They ended up having fun after all. However, Easton does have one stipulation. He says he'll only go again "if somebody puts the birds up."