The bizarre story of when Australia went to war with emus—and lost

In the 1930s, a battle unlike any other unfolded in the Australian outback. After World War I, thousands of “soldier settlers” moved to Western Australia, attracted by government incentives to develop the land. As a result, thousands of emus—tall, flightless birds—in search of food, migrated into these newly established farms and trampled crops along the way.

The government’s response was swift and unusual: dispatched soldiers armed with machine guns to eliminate more than 20,000 emus. What they expected to be a quick and decisive victory turned into a humbling and absurd episode known as the “Emu War.”

But this bizarre chapter in history wasn’t just a military misstep—it revealed the emus’ critical role in Australia’s ecosystems and solidified their status as one of the country’s most iconic species.

The Emu War: A surreal showdown

Following World War I, the Australian government sought to settle more than 5,000 soldiers turned farmers in the westernmost state of Australia. However, the region’s harsh conditions proved difficult with poor soil and inconsistent rainfall. When a severe drought in 1932 drove nearly 20,000 emus into the farming areas, the birds—breaking fences that allowed smaller pests in—became the final straw.

Farmers called in reinforcements, and on November 2, 1932, three soldiers from the Royal Australian Artillery arrived with two Lewis light machine guns. The mission seemed simple: eliminate the emus and protect the crops.

Yet the campaign quickly descended into chaos. “I think back in the day they underestimated the species,” says Sarah Comacchio, a zookeeper at Taronga Zoo, Sydney. “They were quite unsuccessful because [emus] are such fast, agile birds.”

In the first three days, the men killed only 30 emus. Instead of staying in large herds, the emus scattered, making them challenging targets. Two days later, a machine gun jammed during an ambush at a watering hole, with thousands of loitering emus in sight.

As reports of the “war” spread, public fascination grew. People were intrigued by the plucky survivors, who even formed “units” with lookouts to evade capture. Truck drivers who failed to herd emus towards gunners reported the birds sprinting over uneven ground at 55 miles an hour, with one truck even crashing in pursuit.

Other witnesses were astonished at the emus’ alleged ability to survive glancing shots. The lead officer, Gwynydd Purves Wynne-Aubrey Meredith, famously said, “[Emus] could face machine guns with the invulnerability of tanks.”

Forty-five days after the start of the campaign, the soldiers had killed only about 2,500 emus—a fraction of the population—leaving the farmers no better off. Soon after, calls for humane treatment sounded for the animals, and the government called off the operation. The emus emerged victorious.

Survivors of the Outback

The Emu War wasn’t just a testament to military folly; it underscored the birds’ incredible resilience. Standing nearly six feet tall, with strides over three feet long, emus are part of the ratites, a flightless group of birds descended from dinosaurs. They are the only bird with a calf muscle, which helps propel them forward. Their powerful leg muscles give them exceptional speed and endurance, enabling them to sprint up to 55 miles per hour and follow rainfall patterns to walk up to fifteen miles a day in search of food.

“I would call emus dispersive rather than migratory. Their movements are somewhat unpredictable and can occur in any direction,” says Rowan Mott, an ecologist with the Bush Heritage Foundation.

While emus often forage alone or in small family groups, droughts can unite them in large flocks, transforming their usually solitary wanderings into mass movements across the countryside. This convergence of natural behavior set the stage for the so-called “Emu War” in the early 1930s.

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But emus are more than just survivors. As opportunistic feeders, they play a vital ecological role by dispersing seeds over vast distances, thus helping to regenerate vegetation across Australia.

While studies have found dozens of plant species in emu dung, Comacchio says emus are pivotal in spreading the quandong, a hardy, native peach. “A lot of other animals feed on that plant too. You’ll see it growing in deserts where others might not grow,” she says. “Emus dispersal of those seeds is a big benefit to the ecosystem, benefiting everyone in turn.”

An Australian symbol

Beyond their ecological role, emus hold deep cultural significance. The emu holds significant symbolism in some First Nations Aboriginal creation stories, often representing resilience, strength, and a deep connection to the land. In some stories, the emu is a creator spirit guiding the natural world, and in others, it appears as a celestial figure in the Milky Way. Emus connection to Australia runs so deep that they appear on the nation’s coat of arms, the 50-cent coin, and even sports team logos.

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“They’re pretty iconic: very curious, not scared, quite confident,” says Comacchio noting the birds’ quirky behaviors, such as hopping excitedly from one leg to the other. “People love them.”

The Emu War may have ended in military failure, but it cemented these birds as symbols of survival and adaptability. Protected under Australian environmental law since 1999, their population remains strong, with more than 600,000 wild emus traversing the continent.