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I was walking around the fence of Alvorada Palace when I saw some of its famous EMAS, there was a very bad guard with a gun near and I asked him permission to be closer of the fence and take a photo.
EMA (Rhea americana) is the most heavy bird in Americas, with 1,7 meter high and reaching 36 KG of weight. As you can see it is a far relative of the African ostrich. It is wild from South America living in open fields from the arid and cold Patagonia to the very hot and dry lands of North-eastern Brazil, the only predators of them while adults are pumas and jaguars.
When the garden of Alvorada Palace was created these big Brazilian birds were used to adorn them and became one of its symbols. During military government of president Costa e Silva his wife had two big dogs and the dogs hated these big birds. She then sent the emas to another palace in Brasília. Few weeks after she was inside a room of the palace when she saw a very venomous snake entering, she asked for help and one of the workers said her that snake was there because she had removed the EMAS from the gardens, in the next day the Emas were back to the gardens.
When Clinton visited Brazil in the 1990's, the CIA demanded the animals were closed and became far from the foreign president (I guess it is a lack of education to give orders inside the home of other people), but I guess the Americans guessed the EMAS were terrorists. Few months ago President Bolsonaro was talking with the press and decided to show a chloroquine box to an EMA (because he believed that was the solution for Covid-19) and the animal wanted to pick him and the press loved the image, showing as the animal was more smart than the president.
Check this image in the link:

https://www.poder360.com.br/governo/agora-bolsonaro-mostra-cloroquina-ate-para-as-emas-do-alvorada/

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Eu estava caminhando ao redor do Palácio da Alvorada quando notei que havia uma EMA no gramado, e pedi para o guarda armado que me permitisse chegar perto da cerca para tirar fotos.
A EMA (Rhea americana)é o pássaro mais pesado das Américas, alcançando 1,7 metro de altura e 36 kg de peso. É nativo das terras geladas e áridas da Patagônia passando pelo centro do Brasil até viver nas terras bem quentes e secas do nordeste, sempre em campos abertos. Seu único predador quando adulto é a onça e o puma.
Quando os jardins do palácio foram criados puseram as emas ali de enfeite e elas se tornaram símbolo do palácio. Durante o governo militar do presidente Costa e Silva, sua esposa tinha dois enormes cães e os animais detestavam as emas, ela então mandou as emas para outro palácio. Dias depois ela estava na sala do palácio e viu quando uma cobra coral entrou, pediu ajuda e o funcionário lhe disse que aquela cobra estava ali justamente porque ela havia removido as emas do jardim. No dia seguinte as emas estavam de volta.
Quando Clinton visitou o palácio nos anos 1990, a CIA exigiu que as emas ficassem presas, uma tremenda falta de educação dar ordens na casa dos outros. Já recentemente o presidente Bolsonaro tentou mostrar uma caixa de cloroquina para as emas e foi bicado por uma delas.