The Great Emu War

The Great Emu War of 1932 was an action led by the Royal Australian Army to prevent a near 20,000 emus from destroying the Australian crops. Emus regularly migrate after their breeding season, heading to the coasts of Australia from the inland regions. With the cleared land and additional water supplies being made available for livestock by the Western Australian farmers, the emus found that the cultivated lands were good habitat, and they began to foray into farm territory. They then consumed and spoiled the crops of the farmland, carrying with them other vermin and causing more problems for the farmers. With the overwhelming urgency of whether Australia would get food, the farmers contacted the Royal Australian Army and they brought with them newfound machine guns to try and thin out the emu population so that Australians would have food for the coming winter months. The guns were to be used by military personnel, troop transport was to be financed by the Western Australian government, and the farmers would provide food, accommodation, and payment for the ammunition. The Australian government didn't necessarily intend to create a "war" from this, but they did intend to shoot the birds as target practice for untrained troops. After two attempts to eradicate the birds, farmers got denied assistance from the Australian government and hilariously the emus won the Great Emu War of 1932.