Experts are warning the owner of a TikTok-famous emu against kissing and cuddling the bird after she said he had avian flu, calling it 'extremely dangerous'

• TikTok-famous emu Emmanuel recently contracted avian flu, its owner revealed.
• She's since been posting photos of herself kissing and cuddling Emmanuel, which alarmed experts.

Experts are taking to Twitter to express concern that the caretaker of a TikTok-famous emu has been posting photos and videos kissing and cuddling the animal while he has avian influenza, which is transmissible to humans and can be deadly.

Emmanuel the emu, who lives on Knuckle Bump Farms in South Florida, gained fame on TikTok earlier this year after various videos showed him walking into frame and interrupting his caretaker Taylor Blake while she filmed videos with other animals.

Many received millions of views and Blake's stern response to the bird — "Emmanuel, don't do it!" — became a viral catchphrase among fans.

On October 16, Blake revealed on Twitter that a "massive tragedy" had befallen the farm after wild birds infected their domesticated birds with avian influenza.

She wrote, "Our farm was heavily impacted by wild geese bringing in AI, and we lost 99% of the birds on our farm."

Emmanuel was one of the birds who had contracted avian influenza but survived and is now stable, Blake said on Twitter. She has since been sharing updates on his condition, as well as photos and videos of Emmanuel, some of which show her touching, cuddling, and kissing him.

In response, doctors and experts have expressed concerns over human infection of avian influenza.

"Being face to face with a bird w avian flu is a bad idea – this is how zoonotic transmissions occur, this is why entire farms cull sick birds. We live with the threat of pandemic flu," Dr. Boghuma Kabisen Titanji, a global health and infectious disease researcher at Emory University in Atlanta, Georgia, tweeted in response to Blake's thread.

Dr. Angela Rasmussen, a virologist and research scientist at the Vaccine and Infection Disease Organization in Canada, tweeted, "If your emu (or any bird) has avian influenza, do not kiss it. Do not cuddle with it. Do not touch it. Bird flu is extremely dangerous to humans and other animals. And it sounds harsh, but to prevent its spread, birds that get avian flu should be euthanized."

Rasmussen also wrote that she "screamed" when she saw a photo of Blake kissing Emmanuel.

Both threads received over 6,000 likes each. Scientists, academics, and other Twitter users have also criticized Blake for the close contact.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), avian influenza (or bird flu) does not usually infect people although it can happen in rare cases. It states this occurs "most often after unprotected contact with infected birds or surfaces contaminated with bird flu viruses."

The World Health Organization states that a total of 864 cases and 456 deaths from bird flu transmission were reported worldwide between 2003 and March 2022.

In response to the backlash, Blake tweeted: "We are constantly sanitizing and washing our hands, clothes and bodies. Emmanuel freaks out whenever we approach him wearing a mask. He does not understand and it is extremely stressful on him. I am not going to put more stress on him."

She added that the farm was in the midst of a 150-day quarantine, and that she and her girlfriend have not left since the outbreak.

Blake said she has "taken every precaution recommended by the FDA."

The FDA signposts the biosecurity measures developed by the US Department of Agriculture's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service. In order to reduce the risk of infectious diseases for both animals and people, it states that farmers should wash hands before and after contact, wear protective clothing, and have disinfectant footbaths for anyone coming into contact with the poultry.

Avian influenza was detected in Florida, where Blake's farm is located, in January and has also been found in several other states, including Kentucky, New York, Virginia, Delaware, Indiana, Maine, Michigan, and Nebraska.

According to the CDC, avian flu in humans can range in severity from no symptoms or mild illness to severe disease that resulted in death.

Blake did not immediately respond to Insider's request for comment.

For more stories like this, check out coverage from Insider's Digital Culture team here.