How Australia Lost to the Emus

In 1932, Western Australia began a one-month-long war. It was the end of the Great Depression, and farmers had started to work in their fields in hopes of a better year than the

last. That is until 20,000 emus began their migration to their breeding grounds.

The farmers in this situation, who were ex-soldiers, petitioned for military assistance. The Australian Government sent out the Seventh Heavy Battery of the Royal Australian Artillery. They were armed with Lewis Machine guns and 10,000 rounds of ammunition when the war had begun.

The Artillery's first incursion ended in defeat when despite the shooting of nearly a thousand Emu, only a dozen were confirmed as killed. This was because they proved difficult to hit, and when they were, there seemed to be no effect on the bird itself. Within a week of the first incursion, a retreat was called by the Australian government.

Another Operation was held a few days after the first incursion in which they had more luck. The reason was that they placed a bounty on the Emu. By the end of 1960, nearly 284,700 were killed.

In the end, though the Emu were claimed the apparent victors of these wars, their numbers are still strong today.