You might think the Melbourne Cup is just about the horses – and, quite possibly, the fatal injuries thereof – but you would be absolutely wrong. There is, apparently, another later of animal involvement heretofore unknown to science and reason.
Basically, seagulls have apparently been an issue at the Cup for some time: they hoon about the racecourse like they own the place, get in the horses faces, and can provide a serious safety hazard for the animals and their jockeys. Everyone knows seagulls. They kinda fly around aimlessly looking for chips, which becomes an issue when horses are hurtling around the track.
So, basically, a pack of raptors – a peregrine falcon, a wedge-tailed eagle and a barking owl – have been, uh, ’employed’ to keep the track clear just before the race. They’re not actually murderous – they’re apparently just there to “create an atmosphere of fear” which sounds frankly terrifying. Halloween is over, bud.
“Putting that bird into that environment just puts pressure on the [seagulls],” said trainer Graeme Coles from Full Flight in Ballarat.
“Our birds don’t kill the seagulls of course, because they’re protected, but the seagulls don’t know they’re not hunting. So there’s a little bit of trickery involved with that.”
“Of course” doesn’t instil confidence when it comes to animal death and Melbourne Cup, but hey: it’s an assurance nonetheless.
There ya go. A fleet of murderbirds protecting the horses. Howsaboutit. Look, the race sucks, but as someone who has had chips nicked from my very hands in Wollongong, I respect seagull justice.
Source: ABC.
Photo: Getty Images.
