Today in History—December 10: The Great Emu War Ends (Badly, for Humans)

It was on this day in 1932 that the Australian government officially surrendered after a monthlong battle: Despite a valiant effort, three machine gunners from the Royal Australian Artillery had failed in their mission to defeat invading forces in Western Australia.

The opposition? Emus.

The fast, flightless, famously unbothered birds were a common sight on the continent. Australians were used to seeing them migrate in search of food and water, from inland breeding grounds to the coasts.

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In 1932, however, drought brought the two species into unusually close contact. Farmers already struggling through the Great Depression in the fledgling wheat district of Campion came face-to-face with 20,000 hungry emus. The strong birds busted through fences to get to the fields, eating or trampling the crops in their path.

The farmers begged the government for help. The government’s solution? Two machine guns, three soldiers, and 10,000 rounds of ammunition.

But the emus outmaneuvered the soldiers at every turn. They moved in small groups and scattered when the shooting started. Even when hit—often from 3,000 feet away—the birds’ thick feathers and hides made them nearly bulletproof. Maj. G.P.W. Meredith, the officer in command, said emus could “face machine guns with the invulnerability of tanks.” Attempts to corral them failed. So did attempts to shoot them from trucks—the birds moved faster. The emus even formed lookouts to warn of the soldiers’ approach.

After a disappointing campaign, with press that charmed the public and enraged conservationists, the Great Emu War ended. Fewer than 1,000 emus were confirmed killed, though another 2,500 reportedly later died of injuries. Either way, the plan was unsustainable.

Instead, the government armed the farmers, who also learned to build better fences. A bounty system reduced the number of emus in later decades. But their resilience and pluck during the war endeared them to the public and set them on their way to becoming a national symbol. Today the bird features prominently on the Australian coat of arms, an enduring reminder of a country that once lost a war to its wildlife.

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