Texas ranch owner missing dozens of ostriches after extreme flooding
VALLEY MILLS, Texas (KWKT) – The flooding in Texas over the weekend has ruffled some feathers, and one ranch is seeking to find dozens of missing ostriches.
The Superior Ostrich Company in Valley Mills is looking for many of its birds that got loose.
"I've always had a finger in the ranching operation here all my life and I've seen several floods, but this was one of the granddaddy of all floods," said Reg Lindberg, Superior Ostrich Company founder.
Lindberg believes the floodwaters carried the ostriches into the Bosque River.
"Right now, we're looking at about 120 birds still unaccounted for," Lindberg initially said.
Lindberg and his team have found 80 ostriches within five miles of the ranch. The others may come as a financial loss.
"When we process them, the meat's worth anywhere from $2,000 to, could be as much as $3,000. They're valuable. It's just a big hit," said Lindberg.
Some of the ostriches have been found by using a helicopter and drone footage. Others show up at Lindberg's front door.
"I found one this morning, and she was just up there walking around the house. She was looking for somebody to come out and maybe give her some food or something," said Lindberg.
Lindberg, however, is still looking for the others.
"We'd like to be able to count the dead ones as well as the alive ones, and [we] would like to know what happened to them because it's still a big mystery to me as to what happened to 120 birds," said Lindberg.
As of Tuesday night, the Superior Ostrich Company had found 37 birds, which are now safely back at the ranch. The company has also confirmed reports that 12 ostriches have died. It is estimated there are still over 80 ostriches unaccounted for.