A flock of 20,000 hungry emus
WA, 1932
photo credit: Footnoting History
Australian emus had been a protected native species up until 1922 when they started to destroyed the fences around wheat farms and ate or trampled the wheat. Thus they were officially reclassified as vermin. In summer 1932, a flock of 20,000 6’, hungry birds migrated from the coastal regions to inland regions, looking for food and to breed. By late 1932, they were wreaking havoc on the marginal wheat farms owned by the ex-servicemen.
A group of local ex-soldiers were sent to speak with the Minister of Defence. These farmers had no access to the necessary ammunition, so they called on the Australian military to act and soldiers were sent to the region with machine guns!! Being ex-military, the farmers were very aware of how effective machine guns would be.
Led by Major GPW Meredith, 7th Battery of Royal Australian Artillery, the army set out in Nov 1932, certain to gun down birds in one district. The soldiers moved in formation behind the birds, and the birds immediately scattered in all directions - emus cannot fly but they can run VERY quickly. 2 days later, hidden gunners sighted 1,000 emus nearby and waited patiently for them to arrive. The soldiers open fired at short range, killing 10-12 emus, while the others re-scattered. The media noted: Each emu mob has its leader, always an enormous black-plumed bird standing fully 6’ high, who kept watch while his fellows busied themselves with the wheat. As soon as he gave the signal, the leader always remained until his followers reached safety.
On 8th Nov 1932, it was reported that Maj Meredith’s party had used 2,500 rounds of ammunition (25% of the allotted total) to destroy 200 emus. The Australian House of Representatives discussed the military operation and following the humiliating negative coverage of the Emu War in the local media, the army withdrew the military personnel and machine guns! Instead the government decided to provide the ammunition that the locals needed to take care of the problem themselves, and 57,034 emus were killed over six months. The Journal of Australian Studies suggested it could have been a propaganda exercise to show that the government was supporting its struggling war heroes. But I would have been more worried about physically and psychiatrically damaged WW1 soldiers being given machine guns again ☹
Led by Major GPW Meredith, 7th Battery of Royal Australian Artillery, the army set out in Nov 1932, certain to gun down birds in one district. The soldiers moved in formation behind the birds, and the birds immediately scattered in all directions - emus cannot fly but they can run VERY quickly. 2 days later, hidden gunners sighted 1,000 emus nearby and waited patiently for them to arrive. The soldiers open fired at short range, killing 10-12 emus, while the others re-scattered. The media noted: Each emu mob has its leader, always an enormous black-plumed bird standing fully 6’ high, who kept watch while his fellows busied themselves with the wheat. As soon as he gave the signal, the leader always remained until his followers reached safety.
WW1 Lewis machine gun
used against the emus in W.A
credit: Wikimedia Commons
On 8th Nov 1932, it was reported that Maj Meredith’s party had used 2,500 rounds of ammunition (25% of the allotted total) to destroy 200 emus. The Australian House of Representatives discussed the military operation and following the humiliating negative coverage of the Emu War in the local media, the army withdrew the military personnel and machine guns! Instead the government decided to provide the ammunition that the locals needed to take care of the problem themselves, and 57,034 emus were killed over six months. The Journal of Australian Studies suggested it could have been a propaganda exercise to show that the government was supporting its struggling war heroes. But I would have been more worried about physically and psychiatrically damaged WW1 soldiers being given machine guns again ☹
Australian coat of arms
starring the kangaroo and the emu
The emu still takes its place of pride on the Australian coat of arms with our other native, the kangaroo, having had its status as a protected animal reinstated. The emu population across Australia is c600,000-700,000+, not in danger of dying out. But conservationists are working to save several specific populations greatly at risk, especially in NSW.
Emus are very large, flightless birds and the massive number of emus was causing concern to local farmers. I have no doubt that the Western Australian farmers were facing hard times with their crops following the Great Depression, and their difficulties greatly increased with the arrival of c20,000 emus migrating inland in their breeding season. But these birds are indigenous to Australia, protected and importantly symbolic. So the Great Emu War of Australia was both understandable and unforgivable! At least they could have given the emu meat, which is both healthy and tasty, to families starving during the Depression.
The birds still remain plentiful in the areas outside Perth, so in some sense the War was also futile. Conservationists were clearly unhappy and hoped that problematic wildlife management would never involve machine guns again! So I am pleased to note that, although in the following years farmers requested assistance from the army again, the government did refuse!
Emus are very large, flightless birds and the massive number of emus was causing concern to local farmers. I have no doubt that the Western Australian farmers were facing hard times with their crops following the Great Depression, and their difficulties greatly increased with the arrival of c20,000 emus migrating inland in their breeding season. But these birds are indigenous to Australia, protected and importantly symbolic. So the Great Emu War of Australia was both understandable and unforgivable! At least they could have given the emu meat, which is both healthy and tasty, to families starving during the Depression.
The birds still remain plentiful in the areas outside Perth, so in some sense the War was also futile. Conservationists were clearly unhappy and hoped that problematic wildlife management would never involve machine guns again! So I am pleased to note that, although in the following years farmers requested assistance from the army again, the government did refuse!
Wilsons Promontory National Park, Victoria, 2010
Wikimedia Commons
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30 comments:
The so-called “Emu War” remains a striking episode in which economic desperation, flawed agricultural policy, and symbolic wildlife collided, exposing both the fragility of soldier-settlement schemes and the limits of militarised solutions to environmental problems.
Lessons from the Great Emu War. What can we learn from this ridiculous chapter in history?
1.Don’t Underestimate Your Challenges. The government assumed the emu problem would be easy to solve. Similarly, we often underestimate the complexity of our own challenges. Whether it’s a work project, a relationship, or a personal goal, overconfidence can lead to failure.
2.Adapt and Pivot. Emus survived by adapting. They scattered when attacked, regrouped, and even developed strategies. Meanwhile, the military wasted time and resources doubling down on a failing approach. When something isn’t working in life, it’s okay to pivot and try a different strategy.
3.Resilience Wins. Emus relied on their instincts and resilience to survive. They didn’t have weapons or plans, but their natural abilities carried them through. Resilience & adaptability are key to overcoming life’s challenges.
4.Find Humor in Failure. Let’s be real: the Great Emu War is hilarious. Humans losing to birds armed with nothing but their legs? It’s absurd. But there’s a lesson here about finding humor in failure.
Australian emus had apparently been a protected native species up until 1922. Yet it didn't protect them very much. I presume their protection was renewed at a later date, at least Federally.
When the Soldier Settlement Scheme began to be rolled out across all states, I understood the importance of giving thousands of ex-servicemen plots of land to convert into working farms.
But until this very day, I don't understand how the limits of militarised solutions to environmental problems were not understood at the time. Apart from probably wiping out Australia's important wildlife, being handed the Lewis machine guns might have put the ex-servicemen back into psychiatric care :(
Elle Russ
I am not sure that the Great Emu War of 1932 was one of the most bizarre, hilarious and surprisingly insightful chapters in history. It is true that life doesn’t always go as planned, and even that laughing at our mistakes can help us move forward. But slaughtering birds was obscene and didn't even protect the crops.
Joe
Correct! Yet with the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act of 1999, when emus in Australia became a protected species again, the coastal population of Emus has shown a large decline in recent years. So do Protections Acts work any longer? Federal legislation seems to be in place and working, but Tasmania didn't protect the birds until they were extinct there and had to be reimported.
I cannot understand the NSW legislation, alas.
24/7 Mobile Tyre Service
Welcome aboard. I assuming you were very interested in the Great Emu War because of the relationship between professional tyre assistance on one hand, and avoiding accidents with emus (and other protected birds and animals) on rural roads in Australia.
Heaps of Emu's about Hels some even visited us in the caravan parks when we travelled. They are a dangerous flightless bird with large claws that would or could rip you apart, however it's good that they are protected.. Good read, I enjoyed the history of way back...thank you.
Margaret
I have no doubt that during the Depression, the emus were wreaking havoc on the marginal wheat farms owned by the struggling ex-servicemen. Nor do I doubt that when aroused into anger, emus can tear an animal apart with its claws.
So the fences to keep them out have to be tall (under 2ms) with high tensile wire, droppers and tensioners. Electric fences are the best.
Quality Dental Care
many thanks for reading the post. But emus don't have teeth.
Kandid
were you available to help ex-servicemen to set up successful homes and farms after they were unemployed in the 1920s? Would you have been able to help them once the Depression set in and stayed?
It was a very difficult time, I of course acknowledge that, but worst for survivors of the War to End All Wars.
I had never heard of the Emu Wars. How fascinating, but poor creatures, to be hunted down like that, albeit unsuccessfully initially.
jabblog
I knew the post WW1 era was terrible for ex servicemen - unemployment, psychiatric crises, poor housing, the 1929 Great Depression etc. but I too had never heard of the Emu Wars. Apparently the newspapers didn't think it was significant enough to analyse.
That is a lot of emus. Holy cow. I get why they had to do something, but I feel bad they shot so many because the birds were just trying to survive. I don't know if people have really smartened up when it comes to living with wildlife today, which you would think they'd have learned.
Hi hels
I always thought emus were harmless and lovely.
I don't like the idea of machine gunning birds. Hey-ho difficult times.
Hello Hels, Even in 1922, conservationists knew the importance of proper acreage to both maintain and contain protected species, and some of the great parks and land conservancies had already been set up by then. It seems that Australia really botched this with the emu population, in addition to the questionable tactic of giving marginal land to the soldiers. By the way, the appearance of the machine-gunned Emu on the Australian coat of arms reminds me of a post I wrote a long time ago showing the Cambridge, Massachusetts seal which still features the torn-down but once-beautiful Gore Hall Library.
--Jim
More Australian history I did not know about. I had no idea there were so many emus now and hope the farmers have some method of protecting crops.
Erika
I am not sure we _have_ learned about living with wildlife, even today :( Humane Society International's Licence to Kill reveals Australia’s love–hate relationship with our native animals. They discussed kangaroos, wallabies, wombats, cockatoos, lorikeets and black swans.
Liam Ryan
you might have been incorrect - emus did damage farms and did attack with their claws, but they were protected!!! Machine gunning native birds was disgusting and even unsuccessful.
High, electric fences would have worked very effectively yet the Minister of Defence wouldn't pay those brave ex-servicemen to protect their farms.
Parnassus
Thank you...the tactic of giving marginal land to the soldiers was a very important issue that nobody else has raised.
Those young men who had survived WW1, often wounded mentally and/or physically, were heroes and their heroism needed to be acknowledged. But in the end, the Minister of Defence failed them.
River
I didn't know either.
Bush Heritage says ecological studies found more than 630,000 adult emus now, in populations that are likely stable. Today the State Barrier Fence in Western Australia, 1200km-long, is the most successful way for farmers to protect their crops.
If the Depression brought hunger to so many farming families, why weren't they given the emu meat after the emu-shooting ended? Emu meat was clearly low fat, red, protein rich meat with a wonderful taste that indigenous communities particularly loved. My parents might not have eaten emu meat, but then they weren't starving in 1932.
Deb
I find that another immorality about the whole Emu War crisis. It is undersstandable that the farmers were angry about their crops being destroyed and just left the dead emus lie where they fell.
But the Defence Dept could have sent out men to collect the emu bodies, clean them, cut and pack the meat, and deliver it to starving families.
Many would think it was a joke and in some ways it was, it was a war we lost and I am sure there are Aussie's who have not heard of it, not me I have heard of it and have thought about doing a post on it myself
I've heard of the Emu War but I wouldn't have been able to tell anyone about it.
I feel sorry for all involved: emus and ex-servicemen
Jo-Anne
absolutely do a post on it! From 1914 on, the nation was horrified by the 60,000+ young men killed in WW1 and another 160,000 men who returned to Australia gassed or wounded. For a national economy largely dependent on agriculture for decades pre-war, damage of crops in the 1920s and 30s must have been very scary.
Even now, successful protection of Australian native animals, birds, fish etc seems to be struggling.
kylie
me either. It was not important enough for newspapers and history classes to discuss with contemporaries or even the next generation. But can you imagine if koalas, already listed as endangered in Qld, NSW and the ACT due to deforestation, disease, climate change and bushfires, went extinct.
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