Emus Banned From Australian Hotel Pub for ‘Bad Behavior’

A pair of emus have been banned from an Australian hotel for “bad behavior” after they learned to climb the steps, according to reports.

The two emus, Kevin and Carol, were hatched and raised in the small town in Queensland (after their nest of eggs was found abandoned) and have become a tourist draw in the area, the Australian Broadcasting Corporation reported. But recently, they started getting cheeky, climbing the front steps of the Yaraka Hotel & Pub and stealing everything from food and drinks to car keys -- they’re even known to go to the bathroom inside.

"We didn't really want them becoming patrons in the hotel," the hotel's owner, Chris Gimblett, told ABC. "Because when they do get in here, they behave a bit badly."

So the hotel started posting signs, telling customers that the large Australian birds “have been banned from this establishment for bad behavior” and asking the humans to “let yourself in through the emu barrier,” a rope system.

"They still hang around each gate, hoping that they'll be able to slip in when someone opens it up," Gimblett added. "But so far we are winning the war."

While adorable, the emus can become dangerous. Gimblett told NPR that when startled, emus can run very fast and tend to do “a forward sprint whilst looking behind them at the source of their fright and heaven help people and objects that happen to be in their 'blind' forward run." They also have sharp beaks.

While not welcome in the hotel’s pub, the emus have become a bit of a sensation around the world as their story has become a source of entertainment. On Tuesday, the Yaraka Hotel & Pub posted a photo on Facebook of the emus ready for their closeup.

“Staff and emus all ready for the camera,” the hotel wrote. An Australian politician also posted a snap of one of the famed birds as well.

This isn’t the first time an emu has gone viral. Last year, an emu named Eno spent weeks on the run in North Carolina, even inspiring a Facebook page dedicated to the bird.