An abandoned emu is thriving after being raised and taught to walk by an unlikely foster mum.

Four-year-old Shrub was rejected by parents Forest and Mathilda, who also had a difficult start in life.

Birdworld keepers discovered Mathilda had successfully hatched an egg but neither parent was willing to be the caregiver. The job of raising Shrub then fell to Nugget - a small Bantam Hen and she taught the hatchling skills such as eating and walking.

Polly Bramham, living collections manager, said: “Shrub’s mother, Mathilda, laid eggs in the summer, and Forest didn’t seem to be incubating them.

''We didn’t expect the eggs to hatch and were surprised when they found Shrub cold, muddy, and neglected in the nest. She was rushed to an ICU, warmed up, and fortunately turned out to be a resilient survivor.

“Nugget took Shrub under her wing, teaching her essential life skills such as eating and walking. She was the best foster Shrub could hope for – busy, bossy, and showing her lots of fuss and care.

“The keepers loved watching the two of them together.”

After a few weeks, Shrub had quickly outgrown her new foster mother and so the keepers took over Shrub’s development, playing enrichment games and activities to help develop her coordination and build essential muscle.

“In time, we knew the moment had come to start reconnecting Shrub with her parents,” Polly added.

“However, emus can be very reactive and defensive, and to let Shrub in with Forest and Mathilda would have been fatal.”

To combat this obstacle, keepers would walk Shrub outside Forest and Mathilda’s enclosure, letting the now 3ft tall Shrub interact with her birth parents from outside the safety of the fence.

Today, Shrub now lives full-time with her parents, having started her life facing adversity but finding hope under the wing of Nugget.