E is for Emu

The Emu is a large flightless bird that lives in Australia. Whenever I have seen them in a zoo, I have been rather glad they have been on the other side of the fence. The Emu has a beady eye and a pecky beak. It would gladly take a stab at you for the hell of it.

Feeling peckish? (LT Shears)

As it happens, the Emu loomed large and terrifying over my childhood thanks to a rather unfunny man called Rod Hull who spent much of his life with his hand up the backside of a puppet called Emu that attacked folks on live TV.

Later on there was speculation that Hull was a bit pervy and used Emu to grope people. I mentioned this in passing in a previous blog.

In his biography the ex darts player, Eric Bristow, who was admittedly seeking publicity, told the Sun, Hull was a pervert.

"He used the puppet to feel up women and stick his hand between people's legs. It was out of order," said Bristow, who went on to launch into a diatribe about how he would knock him out cold on live TV if his "f..... silly bird" came anywhere near him.

Hull drew 11 million viewers at the peak of his fame with his show. He died penniless in 1999 after he fell off a roof during a botched repair.

The Emu is the second tallest bird in the world after the Ostrich, another bird that can't fly, thank God.

Emus, by their nature, are curious birds who Emus do not sleep through the night but get their kips in several short stints sitting down. Emus are farmed for their meat, oil and leather. The toe and claw of an Emu are 15 centimetres wide and their feet alone remind me of those of a raptor in Jurassic Park.

Useless Fact About an Emu.

Females are more aggressive and angry than males during the courting period, often fighting one another off for access to mates. Scientists have found thise behavior in few other places outside the Emu population of Eastern Australia, and some nightclubs in the north of England.

What Not to Say to An Emu

Bet ya can't peck me baby.