Australia's War on Emus

 

Australia's War on Emus

In late 1932, a peculiar conflict unfolded in Western Australia. Following a severe drought, thousands of emus, large flightless birds, began migrating into farming areas, destroying crops and fences. Desperate farmers appealed to the government, which, perhaps surprisingly, dispatched military personnel to deal with the "emu invasion." Under the command of Major G.P.W. Meredith, a small contingent of soldiers, armed with machine guns, was deployed. For weeks, they attempted to cull the birds, but the emus proved remarkably elusive, scattering at the sound of gunfire and adapting to the tactics. Despite considerable effort and ammunition expended, the military operation was largely a failure. The "Great Emu War" became a widely publicized, somewhat comical, and ultimately embarrassing episode in Australian history, highlighting the unexpected challenges of battling nature.

• Date: November-December 1932
• Characters: Major G.P.W. Meredith, Australian soldiers, Emus
• Reference: "The Emu War" as documented in Australian historical archives, newspaper reports from the period (e.g., The Argus, The Sydney Morning Herald), and various historical accounts of the event.