Oddball, Tula, Eudy and the Penguins

Recently, I brought you the story of Clover the Maremma, who stopped the traffic to get assistance for her owner, who had collapsed.

Today, I bring you the story of another Maremma called Oddball, who, along with her successors, is credited with saving an entire species of penguins.

Just off the state of Victoria in Australia is Middle Island, a very small rocky island home to the Little Penguin. These comical creatures share this barren outcrop with the short tailed Sheerwater, a migratory bird. In 1999-2000, Deakin University undertook a study into the breeding season for the Little Penguin. In January 2000, they found 292 occupied burrows and counted 502 penguins swimming ashore in just one hour; the colony was flourishing.

A species in crisis

By 2006, there were only 10 left!

Sadly, the colony of Little Penguins was systematically being driven to extinction by their nemesis, the fox. By now, drastic action was required. Incredibly, an entire species was almost on the verge of extinction.  A local chicken farmer who determined that his hens should be free range had faced the same threat to his chickens from the fox population. His solution…. Oddball. It appears that there is little information as to the origins of the dog’s name, but Oddball would be the pioneer who would demonstrate the ability of her breed to protect the extremely vulnerable penguins.

The farmer had several Maremma dogs to protect his birds and suggested using these dogs as they require minimal training, as once they have been introduced to their charges, their natural instinct takes over.

Oddball’s career as the guardian of the penguins was very short-lived. Most reports suggest it lasted no more than two weeks, but that was sufficient to adequately demonstrate the capability of the Maremma to protect the penguins. The authorities were so impressed by the endeavours of Oddball that they decided to create the Middle Island Penguin Project, which was designed to train dogs to protect the penguins. The first one was called Tula, and soon after, she was joined by her sister Eudy. The sisters would spend years looking after this flock of the most appealing of birds. Dr Trish Corbett, the project’s lead dog handler, had nothing but praise for Tula, stating how seriously she took her responsibilities.

“She was always the first to jump up and bark if there was a threat. Middle Island was her domain. She had a very strong instinct and loved protecting it.”

Tula would continue to work even after she was officially retired and would assist in the training of dogs that would follow her and Eudy. Both sisters passed away peacefully in 2021, aged 13 years, and their ashes were scattered on the island where they had spent so much of their lives. Oddball lived until she was 15 years old and also passed peacefully in 2017.

A lasting legacy

The legacy of Oddball, Tula and Eudy lives on in one of the most innovative conservation projects ever undertaken.

This unique story was made into a movie and the entire world was introduced to Oddball, Tula and Eudy We were also introduced to Alan “Swampy” Marsh a rather unusual chicken farmer sometimes referred to as eccentric. The irony is that despite the movie being called Oddball, it was Tula and Eudy who would actually spend their working lives protecting the penguins. The fascinating aspect of this story, along with others, is the remarkable ability of the Maremma to adapt to the species that it is required to protect. Basically, it’s instinct, developed over decades, to defend any creature that it is introduced to, regardless of what it is, be it human, livestock, pets, or even wild animals.

It shares this extraordinary talent along with the Mongolian Bankhar dog. (See Bankhar 31 August 2025)

I don’t know how many humans can be credited with saving an entire species, but I’m fairly certain that there are not that many dogs.

NB. For those who have an interest in eccentrics a couple of British ones from the past that might be worth looking up are James Jemmy Hirst 1738-1825, animal trainer extraordinaire and a more modern one is Major Allison Digby Tatham Warter 1917-1993. He was famous for wearing a bowler hat and carrying an umbrella into battle.