Hey everyone! Gather around, grab a snack, and let me tell you one of the weirdest, funniest, and most real stories in history—the story of The Great Emu War of 1932. Now, I know what you’re thinking: “Wait… a war with emus? Like, the big bird?!” Yep. That’s exactly what happened. And no, I’m not making this up. This is 100% true—and it’s kind of wild.
So picture this: Australia, in the 1930s. The country’s still pretty young, lots of farms, and after World War I, the government gave soldiers who came back from fighting a piece of land to farm. These were called “soldier settlements.” One of those places was in Western Australia, near a town called Campion. The farmers there were trying to grow wheat to make money and feed people.
But here’s the problem: it was dry. Really dry. Like, not enough rain to grow much of anything. And when crops don’t grow, farmers don’t make money. So they were already struggling.
Then… the emus showed up.
Now, emus are these tall, flightless birds—kind of like giant ostriches, but Australian. They’re fast, tough, and they love wheat. And for some reason, thousands of them started marching—yes, marching—into the farmland. We’re talking like 20,000 emus! They were trampling the fences, eating the crops, and basically wrecking everything the farmers had worked so hard to grow.
The farmers were like, “What do we do?! These birds are taking over!” They tried everything—fences, scarecrows, yelling—but the emus didn’t care. They just kept coming. So the farmers sent a message to the government: “Help! We’re at war with emus!”
Check this on Amazon–Large Emu Stuffed Animal – Soft & Huggable
And guess what the government did? They sent the army.
That’s right. The Australian military—real soldiers with real machine guns—were sent to fight… birds.
Now, I know it sounds crazy, but hear me out. In November 1932, the army arrived with two soldiers, a major named Major Meredith, and a Lewis machine gun. You know, the kind of gun you see in old war movies that goes brrrrrrrrrrrr and shoots a ton of bullets super fast. They thought, “No problem. We’ll just shoot a few emus, the rest will run away, and peace will return to the wheat fields.”
But emus? They’re sneaky. And tough.
The first attack happened near a water hole. The soldiers saw about 50 emus walking in. “Perfect!” they thought. They set up the machine gun and—BRRRRR!—started shooting.
But the emus? They scattered. Like, zoom in all directions. The bullets missed most of them. The ones that got hit? Some just kept running. Emus are weirdly bullet-resistant. Like, not on purpose—but their bodies are kind of bouncy, and the bullets would sometimes just… bounce off or not do much damage.
So the army tried again. And again. They chased emus in trucks with the gun mounted, but the bumpy roads made it hard to aim. Emus would run into thick bushes where the trucks couldn’t follow. One time, they tried to trap emus by driving them toward a fence—but the emus just jumped over it or ran around it.
Can you believe that? The army was being outsmarted by birds.
After about a week, they’d fired thousands of bullets… and only killed about 200 emus. That’s like, one emu per 10 bullets. Not great. The newspapers started making fun of them. Headlines like “Emus Win First Battle!” and “Feathered Foes Defeat Machine Guns!”
People were laughing. The farmers were still mad. And the emus? They didn’t even seem bothered. They just kept eating wheat and walking around like they owned the place.
So the army paused. They regrouped. And in December, they tried again—this time with more soldiers and better planning. They set up ambushes and waited for big groups of emus. This time, they actually killed more—maybe around 1,000 emus total over several weeks.
But here’s the thing: there were thousands of emus. Killing 1,000 didn’t really fix the problem. And the army was spending a lot of money on bullets and gas for trucks. The government started asking, “Is this really worth it?”
Check this on Amazon–Crazy Animal Facts
Eventually, they said, “You know what? No.” The army packed up and went home. The emus stayed.
And the farmers? They didn’t win the war. But they didn’t give up. They eventually built stronger fences—emu-proof fences—and slowly got their farms working again.
So, who won the Great Emu War?
Well… the emus, obviously.
It’s kind of funny when you think about it. A whole country’s military, trained to fight in wars across the world, got beat by a bunch of giant birds that just wanted a snack.
But here’s the cool part: even though it sounds silly, the story teaches us something. Nature is powerful. Animals are smart. And sometimes, the best-laid plans can go whoosh—right out the window.
Also, never underestimate a bird with attitude.
Now, fun facts: Emus can run up to 30 miles per hour. That’s faster than most humans! They can go days without water. And they’re super good at surviving in tough places. So in a way, they were the ultimate survivors.
And Major Meredith? He actually wrote reports during the war. In one, he said the emus “acted like a charge of cavalry.” Can you imagine? A charge of emus? That’s both terrifying and hilarious.
To this day, Australians tell this story with a mix of pride and embarrassment. It’s like, “Yeah, we kinda lost a war to birds… but at least it’s a good story!”
So next time you see a bird, don’t just shoo it away. Respect it. Because you never know—someday, it might lead an army.
And that, my friends, is the true story of the Great Emu War—where feathers flew, bullets bounced, and the birds said, “Not today.”
(And yes, this really happened. I swear on a stack of history books.)
Disclosure: This post contains Amazon affiliate links, which means I may earn a small commission if you make a purchase through my links — at no extra cost to you.”
