When Australia Fought Birds

When Australia Fought Birds

In 1932, Australia faced a very unusual problem. Thousands of emus, large flightless birds, invaded farmland in Western Australia. The birds were eating crops and causing big problems for farmers. To stop the emus, the government decided to send soldiers with guns.

The soldiers thought it would be an easy task. However, the emus were fast and clever. They ran in different directions, making it hard to aim at them. One soldier joked that the emus were like a well-trained army.

After a few weeks, the soldiers had used thousands of bullets but had killed only a small number of emus. In the end, the government stopped the operation because it was too expensive and not very successful.

The Great Emu War became a famous story in Australian history. It shows how even humans with modern weapons can have trouble controlling nature. Today, the emu is a protected animal and one of the symbols of Australia, appearing on the country’s coat of arms.