Emmanuel Todd Lopez tested negative for Avian Influenza at 2 separate labs, swab, fecal and blood. He does not have the virus, and is not actively shedding the virus🙏🏻 God is good! Thank you for the prayers, the kind words, and the support. Always trust your intuition! We believe this all stemmed from stress. Emus are highly susceptible to stress. He was incredibly overwhelmed by the state coming in and euthanizing our flock. (Although it was necessary, it was still very stressful on him) He stopped eating the day they depopulated.

Just to clarify- I have taken every precaution recommended by the FDA. We have foot baths at every gate, feet must be dipped prior to and after walking into the pasture. Our farm is on a complete quarantine for 150 days. No one except for my family is allowed on the property. My girlfriend and I have not gone anywhere. We have not been around anyone. We go to the barn, and come back home.

When I did my 6am checkin with Emmanuel, I had him positioned lying down facing the gate to his stall. Just went back to do physical therapy with him and he was sitting up, completely turned around in the opposite direction. HE REPOSITIONED HIMSELF, BY HIMSELF! This is huge! During our physical therapy session, he started taking backwards steps! He was fully extending his right foot and putting pressure on it. This is the first time he’s done this, and at this point, every small step feels like a milestone.

Hi friends. I’ve tried countless times to write this post, but it’s been extremely difficult for me. We had a massive tragedy strike the farm, and I have been doing my best to wrap my head around it. I’ve taken time to process and grieve as much as possible, while also dedicating all of my time to the animals and their well-being. It’s hard to grieve when so many lives depend on you.

Let me make something very clear, in the most respectful way possible. Do NOT, under any circumstances, show up to my family’s residence. Our farm is closed to the public, we have “no trespassing” signs posted everywhere. For two days in a row, we have had a car full of unidentified individuals drive on to our property, right past the no trespassing signs. They have walked all the way up on to my family’s porch and knocked on our door. This is completely unacceptable.

One of the best things I ever did was stop feeding into negativity. I always felt this overwhelming need to explain myself. I always wanted everyone to like me. I wasted so many years placing myself inside a box because I allowed other people to make me question my own heart. Be yourself, love yourself and trust yourself. I have learned and grown so much as a person in the last 10 years, most of it done in the public eye. There were so many times I gave up on myself. So many times I doubted myself. Many nights spent hating myself.