If someone asked you who the greatest enemy of Australia is, you might be tempted to say "kangaroos" or "crocodiles." But the answer might surprise you: it's actually the humble emu.
Yes, you read that right. In 1932, Australian military personnel were sent to battle a large and unexpected enemy: a flock of emus. The event has since become known as "the great emu war," and for good reason: in an attempt to reduce the damage that the creatures were doing to local crops and farms, thousands of soldiers were deployed in Western Australia to take on these feathered foes.
So, what exactly happened during the great emu war? How did such a strange conflict come about? In this article, we'll take a deep dive into this strange episode of military history and explore why it's still remembered nearly 90 years later.
The Emu Menace: How Emus Overran Australian Farms
We've all heard of a war between humans, but have you ever heard of a war between humans and animals? Well, it did actually happen—in Australia! The target? A flightless bird—the emu!
Back in the 1920s, when Australian farmers started to expand farming, emus were a serious menace to their crops. One flock could easily destroy acres of wheat in just one day. And with an average of 20 birds per flock, the damage was overwhelming: in 1932, over 10,000 emus descended on Northam Town and caused widespread destruction. 
Local farmers desperately needed help from the military. And help they did get—in 1933 the Australian government sent in troops to drive away the massive flocks of emus that were devastating farms. Armies with machine guns and soldiers on camels were deployed to combat this marauding enemy. Alas, these tactics ultimately failed as the emus were too agile for the camels—and too fast for bullets!
The Great Emu War is now remembered as an epic battle between two very unlikely opponents—and one that will never be forgotten!
Australia Declares War: The Military Is Called In
Who knew that a flightless bird could cause so much trouble? Yet, the emu population in Australia had exploded and were wreaking havoc on farms and causing significant damage. The farmers sought a solution, and the only one they saw was to declare war.
Yes, you heard right—in 1932, Australia declared war on the emus. To expedite matters, they called in military help. Specifically, the Australian Army was deployed with two Lewis machine guns and 10,000 rounds of ammunition to take on the pesky birds. Unfortunately for them, the emus were lucky enough to have an advantage over their human opponents: they could outrun them!
The battle was everlasting with no real victory in sight for either side; both humans and emus escaped unscathed from most fights. The Australian Army eventually conceded defeat and withdrew from their mission without having significantly reduced the number of emus in the area.
The Great Emu War Begins: Humans vs Birds
In 1932, Australia was in the midst of a Great Depression and looking for something to lift its people’s spirits. So the military decided to go up against one of their country’s most unlikely of enemies: emus.
Yes, you heard that right—the military set out to defeat...emus.
The Situation
The situation came about because of the large flocks of emus that were causing damage to local farms and devouring crops. Farmers began petitioning the government for help and finally, two years later, the Australian army was called in for what became known as The Great Emu War.
The Tactics
The army's plan was simple: they would use machine guns with scatter-shot and try to drive away or kill as many birds as possible. It quickly became apparent that this strategy was ineffective against the speedy flightless birds, who just moved onto other locations when forced away from their territories. In addition, due to their size and low-flying maneuvers, they proved difficult targets to hit with a machine gun resulting in a rather embarrassing defeat for the human side!
The war made headlines around Australia, but it wasn't long before it fizzled out without any clear results. Hopefully no emus perished in this strange war – though it certainly made an impression on those who participated or observed!
Early Defeats and a Retreat: The Emus Gain the Upper Hand
Yes, the Emus may have looked like easy prey, but they were no pushovers. By the end of the first few weeks of battle, the humans were already suffering early defeats.
First, the emus were surprisingly wily creatures and much faster than expected. Considering that they had a lot of open space to run on, they made quick escapes with relative ease.
Second, the emus could stay in flight much longer than anticipated. They simply refused to come down and submit themselves to slaughter, making it tough for human shooters to even get a good shot off.
Third, and most interestingly enough, some of the local farmer's crops ended up being more attractive to the emus than government-issued grain. This was a huge problem because it reduced their motivation for coming into contact with the humans altogether – thus gaining them more time for fleeing!
The situation was so bad that after only a few weeks into this great 'war', exhausted Australian soldiers had no choice but to retreat from their storybook showdown with these flighty feathered foes!
New Tactics and Temporary Success: The Tide Turns in the War
Who would have thought that a war between humans and emus could end in a stalemate? And yet, that is exactly what happened during the Great Emu War of 1932.
The Australian soldiers had to get creative in their strategy in order to turn the tide of the war, and they did just that. They deployed machine guns and light tanks against the emus, and even recruited civilian volunteers to come help them out. These new tactics proved successful, and they were able to kill off many emus, driving them off and reducing their numbers significantly.
However, their success was only temporary as the emus showed themselves to be resilient despite all odds. They quickly re-adapted to their environment, finding new sources of food and exploiting hidden classes where humans couldn’t easily reach them. As a result, this gave them an advantage over the humans who were unable to keep up with their speed and agility.
Ultimately, after months of conflict with no clear winner declared - only a stalemate - the Great Emu War was retired from active duty. It's a strange but true example of an animal-human conflict defying expectations - showing us that not everything is as it seems at face value.
A Costly Defeat: The Ceasefire and Impact of the Great Emu War
You likely already know why the Great Emu War failed. But, in case you don't, here goes.
Military Tactics Did Not Work
It became rapidly apparent that the military strategies being employed against these birds were not working. The Emus proved too fast and agile, evading any sort of capture or harm. The Australian soldiers could not keep up with their targets and struggled to follow their complex migration patterns.
Ceasefire Was Called
Unable to achieve anything significant outside of killing a handful of Emus and driving a few away from their habitats, the Australian military was forced to call for a ceasefire. After losing nearly two dozen soldiers and spending over $1,000 dollars in ammunition costs—which would be equivalent to over twelve thousand dollars today—the emu threat was declared neutralized.
Even though the war lasted only two weeks, it serves as an interesting example of human attitudes towards animals with whom they share the planet. The war itself had far ranging impacts beyond just the human participants—it helped further the conversation on how we should properly handle our interactions with wildlife species and the environment as a whole.
Conclusion
The Great Emu War of 1932 is a reminder of how folly and hubris can lead to devastating effects. Despite the best efforts of the Australian military, the emus proved to be too wise and resilient to be vanquished, and in the end, the humans had to accept defeat. Ironically, the emus’ survival after this conflict likely prevented an even worse war—the one between humans and their food sources. The Great Emu War teaches us an important lesson: violence is never the answer. The key to solving human-animal conflicts is understanding the animal’s ecology and motivations, and then working together to find a mutually beneficial solution.
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