Sydney Opera trains dogs to protect patrons from seagulls
OperaReuters reports that dogs have been trained specially to scare off predatory gulls from the Opera House dining terraces.
“It’s been a gamechanger, you could say, in hospitality,” McPherson told Reuters. “We’re not having to chase after birds and the amount of food replacement, broken glasses, broken plates. It’s been absolutely amazing.”
Report here.
We could do with some of those dogs in Conwy!
Old news, SOH have been doing this for at least 2 years
If I’ve ever encountered a First World Problem, it is chasing away seagulls from outdoor dining at an opera house – and I don’t mean this in a negative, accusatory way. It just seems to symbolize the luxury we live in, compared with other parts (in fact: most) of the world…
Next time someone wants to complain about the Met or the BBC or whatever: take a moment to count your blessings.
PS: I come from the shore of the Baltic Sea, and I am aware of the fact that seagulls can be quite a pain, esp. when you try to dine al fresco…
The dog is a result of long-term genetic engineering through selective breeding.
Pure decadence, using such creatures to displace a wild animal species created by mother nature!
Indeed. Who inhabited this place first, the gulls or the opera-lovers?
Well, if it’s a contest there’s a whole lot more to discuss!
People are using dogs now as a replacement for children, so what’s your point? “Fur babies”. Ever heard of that term? No nappies, no costly school fees, no school under-performance, no teenage angst….
This is what comes from a generation raised on participation prizes and soft living. Surely the money could be better spent in this struggling industry rather than pampering to a few hysterical guests!
Well, it’s not the opera house or Opera Australia spending the money; it’s the operator of the restaurant. And really, a couple of border collies don’t cost all that much in the context of “this struggling industry.”
I’d prefer the birds to the collies myself – and so would Alfred Hitchcock!!
JB you clearly have never experienced this. And its mild compared to what happens when a kookaburra zooms in at top speed and whips half your meal off your plate – luckily we dont get them at the Opera House but common in outdoor dining at restaurants located in parks etc.
We get them in the Inner Hebrides. Gannets.
Our terrier now wants to emigrate to Australia.
Morecambe is much nearer with a wonderful bay looking over onto the mountains of the Lake District! Saw the most of a big pizza take off into the air off someone’s plate last year by a seagull!
I remember a funny skit on Australian TV about a cut price chain which sells household junk….”pensioners are attracted to that shop like seagulls to a chip”!!
We wouldn’t even NEED to have dogs there if only there was a requirement that Opera attendees be armed.
Let’s be clear please, we’re not talking about a dining area in the building itself for opera patrons — the Opera Bar is a kind of food-court area between the Opera House and Circular Quay which anyone can visit. It’s just a nice place to enjoy food and drink by the water, in plain view of the Opera House. Perhaps Sydney’s most iconic spot. And yes it needs protection from gulls.
Are you talking about the left wing variety of gull?? I totally agree.