If your image of emus has been shaped by the comical antics of the one in the Liberty Mutual insurance ads, this is a wake-up call for you: They can be no fun to live with, and have been banned from an Outback hotel in Australia.
A pair, known as Kevin and Carol, although it turns out that both are males, have been ordered off-premises at the Yaraka Hotel in western Queensland. Owner Chris Gamblett told CNN Travel that “Travelers have to be very cautious with the emus, because they will poke their heads in a caravan door and drink all the coffee without spilling the mug and steal your toast, and if you have a barbecue watch out because they’ll take everything.”
He added: “You don’t want to get between an emu and food. They’ve got very sharp beaks and they’re a bit like a vacuum cleaner where food is concerned, so we were worried about them going into the dining room and causing havoc.”
Another issue is that the birds are prodigious and messy poopers. The hotel has put up a chain barrier to keep them out, and warns guests to “Please let yourself through the emu barrier and then reconnect.” The two were hatched from a group of eight abandoned eggs rescued by a wildlife enthusiast. The other six have gone off on their own, but Kevin and Carol have stayed around to be Bad Guests.
