The Emu War: When Bird Defeated Men

The “Emu War” was a military operation conducted in Western Australia in 1932 to address an increasing emu population that was causing crop damage. The emus irritated farmers because they would raid farms and destroy crops. The Australian government sent a small group of soldiers to deal with the birds.

Major G.P.W. Meredith of the Royal Australian Artillery’s Seventh Heavy Battery led the operation and was tasked to deal with the emu problem, he was given two machine guns and a team of soldiers.

The first attempt to drive the emus away was unsuccessful because the birds outwitted the soldiers and avoided being shot. The emus could also hide in the dense brush, making it difficult for the soldiers to find them.

In the end, the emus proved to be too much for the soldiers to handle, and the operation was called off after just a few days. It is estimated that only a small number of emus were killed during the operation.

The “Emu War” was widely covered in the media at the time, and it has since become a well-known and somewhat humorous episode in Australian history. Many people saw the operation as a ridiculous and futile attempt to solve a problem that could have been addressed in other ways.

Despite the operation’s failure, the emu population in Western Australia eventually declined on its own, and the problem of emus damaging crops has been resolved in large part. The “Emu War” is remembered today as an example of the difficulties that can arise when humans and wildlife come into conflict, as well as the importance of finding more effective and humane solutions to such problems.