In 1932, a real war broke out in Western Australia. The army fought emus, birds that were devastating crops. This battle, known as the "Emu War," ended surprisingly: the humans...
In 1932, a real war broke out in Western Australia. The army fought emus, birds that were devastating crops. This battle, known as the "Emu War," ended surprisingly: the humans lost.
The operation was commanded by Major G.P.W. Meredith. He had received orders from the Secretary of Defense and had three soldiers and two Lewis guns. Their goal: to destroy 20,000 emus that had migrated to the Campion area.
The emus proved incredibly cunning. They scattered in small groups, evading machine gun fire. In the first six days, 2,500 rounds of ammunition were expended, but only 300 birds were killed. This is a remarkably low result.
The conflict began because of a drought that forced emus into farmers' fields, destroying wheat. The farmers, many veterans of World War I, appealed for military assistance. In December 1932, the troops were withdrawn, the mission deemed a failure.
In the end, Major Meredith reported killing 986 emus, using over 9,800 rounds of ammunition. That's roughly 10 rounds per bird. Man lost, nature won. The emus had won their Australian war.
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