Lyla Lindsey
In 1932, Australia declared war on 20,000 emus, large flightless birds indigenous to the country. The emus had been destroying crops in the Campion district within the Wheatbelt of Western Australia. The military operation, known as the Emu War or Great Emu War, involved soldiers armed with Lewis guns, but despite the killing of many birds, the emu population persisted and continued to cause crop destruction. The emus were considered the victors of the war, as the military was forced to withdraw and subsequent requests for military help were refused.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Name of the bird | Emu |
| Year of the war | 1932 |
| Number of Emus | 20,000 |
| Location | Campion and Walgoolan regions in Western Australia |
| Reason for the war | Emus were destroying crops and damaging fences |
| Outcome | Emus won the war |
| Ammunition used | Lewis guns, machine guns |
| Number of Emus killed | Between 50 and 500 |
| Human casualties | None |
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What You'll Learn
Why did Australia declare war on emus?
In 1932, Australia declared war on emus in an attempt to curb the large flightless bird population, which was said to be destroying crops in the Campion district within the Wheatbelt of Western Australia. The emus had migrated to the coast from the inland regions and found that the cultivated lands were good habitats. They began to foray into farm territories, in particular, the marginal farming land around Chandler and Walgoolan. The emus consumed and spoiled the crops and left large gaps in fences where rabbits could enter and cause further problems.
The farmers, many of whom were war veterans, could do little about these problems, so they sought a drastic solution to the emu epidemic. They found an ally in the Minister of Defence, Sir George Pearce, who agreed to their request to deploy machine guns to rid the Outback of the emus. Pearce supported the deployment on the grounds that the birds would make good target practice. It has also been argued that the government viewed the operation as a way of being seen to help the Western Australian farmers and to stave off the nascent secession movement.
The military involvement was due to begin in October 1932 under the command of Major Gwynydd Purves Wynne-Aubrey Meredith of the Royal Australian Artillery 's 7th Heavy Artillery. However, heavy rains caused a delay, and the troops were eventually deployed on 2 November 1932. The operation was not a large one, comprising only two soldiers, Sergeant S McMurray and Gunner J O'Halloran, armed with two Lewis light machine guns and 10,000 rounds of ammunition.
When the troops arrived in Campion, about 50 emus were sighted, but they were out of range of the guns. The local settlers attempted to herd the emus into an ambush, but the birds split into small groups and ran so that they were difficult to target. The emus' guerrilla tactics made it impossible to mow them down en masse as intended. The operation was a failure, with only a few dozen emus killed, and it was widely ridiculed in the press.
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How did emus win the war?
In the early 1930s, Australia's military declared war on emus—large, flightless birds indigenous to the country. The war was a result of public concern over the number of emus destroying crops in the Campion district within the Wheatbelt of Western Australia. The emus had also damaged fences, which allowed smaller pests like rabbits and dingoes to enter and wreak havoc.
The military operation, known as the "Emu War" or "Great Emu War", involved soldiers from the Royal Australian Artillery armed with Lewis guns and around 10,000 rounds of ammunition. The plan was to use machine guns to cull the emus, but it failed to take into account the behaviour of the birds. As soon as the shooting started, the emus scattered into quick-moving, small groups, making them difficult to target. The emus also seemed to be able to withstand multiple bullet wounds, with Major Meredith, who commanded the soldiers, commenting that they had the "invulnerability of tanks".
Despite the use of military personnel and weaponry, the Emu War was a failure. The soldiers were unable to effectively cull the emu population, and the birds continued to cause crop destruction. The operation was widely ridiculed in the press, and the emus were considered the "'victors'" of the war. The government eventually introduced a bounty scheme and supplied farmers with ammunition for emu hunting, but these measures had little impact on emu populations.
The Emu War highlighted the critical role that emus play in Australia's ecosystem and cultural identity. Emus are opportunistic feeders that help regenerate vegetation across Australia by dispersing seeds over vast distances. They also hold deep cultural significance, appearing in some First Nations Aboriginal creation stories and even on the nation's coat of arms and 50-cent coin.
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What weapons did Australia use?
In 1932, Australia declared war on emus—and lost. The Emu War, or Great Emu War, was a military operation undertaken to address public concern over the number of emus destroying crops in the Campion district within the Wheatbelt of Western Australia. The weapons used by the Australian military in their attempt to curb the emu population included:
- Lewis guns, which are gas-operated American weapons used extensively during World War I. The guns can feed bullets from a firing pan capable of holding almost 100 rounds and can fire 500 rounds per minute.
- Two Lewis light machine guns.
- Rifles.
The Australian military's plan was to use these weapons to mow down the emus en masse. However, this plan failed to take the birds' behaviour into account. When the guns were trained on the flocks, the emus responded by breaking up into small, quick-moving, hard-to-hit groups, making it impossible to kill them in large numbers as intended.
In addition to these weapons, the Australian government also introduced a bounty scheme for emu hunting in 1934. However, this also had little impact on emu populations.
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What was the outcome of the war?
The Emu War, or Great Emu War, was a military operation undertaken in Australia in 1932. It was an attempt to curb the large number of emus, large flightless birds indigenous to Australia, that were destroying crops in the Campion district within the Wheatbelt of Western Australia. The operation employed soldiers armed with Lewis guns, but despite many birds being killed, the emu population persisted and continued to cause crop destruction.
The outcome of the war was ultimately a victory for the emus, who were considered the "victors". The military operation was unsuccessful in significantly reducing the emu population, and the birds continued to ravage crops, leading to financial hardships and frustration for farmers. The Australian military was forced to withdraw in 1932, and the conflict ended in a stalemate. The war highlighted the limitations of brute force against nature’s cunning creatures and the complex relationship between agriculture and wildlife in Australia.
Initial attempts at thinning the emu population seemed promising, with soldiers reporting dozens of birds killed in the first skirmishes. However, the emus quickly adapted and learned to scatter at the sound of gunfire, making them difficult targets in the open terrain. The emus also displayed surprising resilience, often surviving bullet wounds, with one soldier comparing them to "tanks".
The military's failure in the Emu War was widely ridiculed in the press, both in Australia and internationally. Cartoons and jokes poked fun at the soldiers, while the emus were immortalised as tenacious and resourceful creatures. The war also had a human cost, with soldiers struggling to adapt to the emus' tactics and suffering embarrassment and ridicule as a result of their unsuccessful campaign.
In the aftermath of the war, the Australian government introduced a bounty scheme for emu hunting and supplied farmers with ammunition. However, these measures had little impact on emu populations. The only effective solution proved to be the expansion of fencing over long distances, but this was controversial as it was accused of endangering the survival of the emu as a species by preventing their natural movements.
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What is the current situation between emus and farmers in Australia?
The Emu War of 1932 was a military operation undertaken in Australia to address public concern over the number of emus destroying crops in the Campion district within the Wheatbelt of Western Australia. The large flightless birds, almost six feet in height on average, and capable of running 30 miles per hour, can be found all over Australia and travel huge distances during their breeding season. This posed a problem for wheat farmers in Western Australia in the early 1930s, as large populations of emus could (and did) suddenly appear, break their fences, and ruin their crops.
The emus consumed and spoiled the crops and left large gaps in fences where rabbits could enter and cause further problems. The farmers, many of them war veterans, relayed their concerns about the birds ravaging their crops, and a deputation of ex-soldiers met with the Minister of Defence, Sir George Pearce. The minister agreed to their requests for machine guns, with the guns to be used by military personnel, troop transport financed by the Western Australian government, and the farmers providing food, accommodation, and payment for the ammunition.
The military involvement was due to begin in October 1932 under the command of Major Gwynydd Purves Wynne-Aubrey Meredith of the Royal Australian Artillery's 7th Heavy Artillery. However, the operation was delayed due to heavy rains, causing the emus to scatter over a wider area. When the troops were finally deployed, the emus responded by breaking up into small, quick-moving, hard-to-hit groups, making it impossible to mow them down en masse as intended.
The cull was widely ridiculed in the press, and the emu attacks on crops continued. Farmers again asked for support, citing the hot weather and drought that brought thousands of emus onto farms. Despite the problems encountered with the cull, farmers requested military assistance several more times, only to be turned down by the government. Instead, the government continued a bounty system that had been in place since 1923, and this proved to be effective, with 57,034 bounties claimed over a six-month period in 1934.
Today, emu farming is making a comeback in Australia amid a renewed interest in the health properties of their oil. Emus are prolific breeders, with each pair producing up to 25 chicks per year. While some farmers have expensive infrastructure such as incubators and extra-high fences, and many have expensive feed bills, there are now less than 12 emu farmers left in Australia.
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Frequently asked questions
The emu, a large, flightless bird native to Australia.
In 1932.
Emus were destroying crops and damaging fences designed to keep rabbits off agricultural land.
Emus responded by breaking up into small groups at the first sign of trouble and scattering in all directions, making them hard to mow down en masse.
The government introduced a bounty scheme, but this too had little impact on emu populations.
