The Great Emu War: how it started and who won | ABC Australia

It's a topic that has captured the hearts and minds of internet users all over the globe: How did the Australian Army lose a war to a bunch of flightless birds?
But the Great Emu War, spanning just over a month in 1932, was serious business.
Here, we take a look at exactly how it started and who was victorious.
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[@veggiesaremurder]

I was in Idaho looking for work, and my neighbor at the motel told me about this. I was in actual tears about how hilarious this was! I can't believe this actually happened! 😂

[@alexanderp8037]

😁

[@montananerd8244]

I am more concerned that you are in Idaho looking for work tbh ..come to Montana, we need you & we have more options! Also lots of emus live out here now lol, the trend has died down, but you can still get emu meat & emu oil at a lot of stores. They are ranch animals so they are slaughtered, but they do live good lives - their meat isn't cheap & the ranchers do take great care of them.

[@louisemanning9542]

Hey we lost a lot of good mates in that battle aye😂watch yourself

[@ray.shoesmith]

I'm glad you found it emusing

[@damoinau]

A ceasefire was called. 😆 Makes it sound like the Emu's were shooting back.

[@Purpled_EyeTV]

ikr lol

[@Ken_from_Mumbai]

Pretty sure the emus won the war.

[@marcelmclaughlin54]

😂right

[@carlosanaya4149]

😂😂😂

[@liwojenkins]

When military people are ordered to stop shooting, the command is always "cease fire".

[@DrAnarchy69]

Be ungovernable. Be unkillable. Be like the Emu!

[@JAYBO4200]

When an immovable object mates with an unstoppable force

[@Rdg875]

How did Emus achieved total victory? Using the same tactics the allies used against Napoleon - "When they approach, we run away"

[@areasevenpro]

"Sir, you're a genius."

[@Shamy_Cartoons]

Closest thing to Jurassic Park weve ever gotten in human history

[@Elltronotube]

I'm always amazed by the sheer number of emus in Australia. It's like they're emu-merous!

[@MightyMageGames]

Always Nice To See People So Emu-tionally Engaged.

[@MightyMageGames]

My Class Was Given The Choice To Chose A Topic For Our Paper And My Sister Thought I'd Be Funny To Do One On The Great Emu War. And It Was Wonderful.

[@bobrong9645]

It wouldn't be the case if the army had enough emunition.

[@brooklyna007]

Sir, please see yourself out.

[@ray.shoesmith]

Does that emuse you?

[@FoxofMaysville]

We in the USA know in our hearts that one day the Emu will try to take over the world. We must all be ready for that day to come!

[@montananerd8244]

The US intermountain west has a lot of bush prairie similar to Australia - there are emu ranches throughout the region already. It has begun...

[@greenrage27]

Our war will be against the wild pigs. They're making a name for themselves.

[@SchizmKing]

Oh I'm ready 😋😂

[@factologyprofessor2869]

I’m still in utter shock. I saw this on Facebook and thought it was a joke. Then went to Wikipedia and saw it and now seeing this. It’s even more hilarious 😂😂

[@luiscypher9844]

Same .. and here I am fact checking... 😮😅

[@reemdiaa9709]

Me too. Was it the “ map of every recorded battle in history ?” 😂

[@littleninnie]

Apparently, there was a sequel called " Emu War II" 😂😂😂..I'm not kidding..

[@jbvader721]

Australia: "I'm losing to a bird!"

[@abdirahmaanmohamed1582]

The Emus has the right to defend themselves We Stand with Emus

[@areasevenpro]

"My national bird is the Emu, and it's a pest. Also bloody delicious."

[@kawehiclassof2011]

What does it taste like

[@Atsupiyi]

I just realized, the whole time Tik Tok star "Emmanuel the Emu" has been staring into the lens and calling out humans for the next battle and we had no idea.

[@joebrowser775]

We need a movie about this 😂

[@lisaswayne8241]

YES

[@burningsagemanmusic7491]

It's on its way, trailer on KZbin.

[@user-dy6mo4gj5r]

it's gonna be sad tho TT Many Emus dying

[@rickthelian2215]

I never knew this story thank you for showing us.

[@jimmyjones4073]

I think “simple history” did a show on it.

[@AndoCommando1000]

The only reason it's 'hilarous' is that it was jokingly referred to as a 'war' in the 1930s equivalent of a clickbait tabloid headline. It was simply an animal culling program that didn't really go as planned. And because it was the depression (and after the second-world war) they used soldiers, simply because there was nothing else for them to do.

[@TheMasterMatch]

The movie is debuting 22/10/2023.

[@donjohn4778]

It was always gonna happen when you initiate a flightless birds fight or flight instinct.

[@mr.pakers1033]

i heard this story when i was a child i thought its only a joke etc, but when internet and YT comes ive seen some docu and im amaze it was real

[@thepackerssmacker8188]

After losing a war to emu's, you'd think Australia was colonized by France not Britain

[@jairomartinez225]

This is savage 😂🤣

[@theSonicguy001]

Unlike the French, we actually attempted to fight back

[@sebion]

oversimplified has an excellent video on the emu war!

[@alibenkahn5092]

Much of that land shouldn't have been cleared in the first place. Now there's not much of that habitat left in south west WA which is a serious environmental problem. Up the emus!

[@mr.k1611]

Fk the emus , our lives matter more then any other animals on the planet. If you disagree, lend us your family onto the firing lane. Exactly stfu

[@penguincoldstorage3365]

Good 👍👍

[@foxibot]

Can you imagine if they figured out how to use high tech on emus and fitted them for armored body suits, lol. We could just send emus to fight in the military. I watch useless farms and that emu on there has murder on her mind daily, and is out to get her sweet caregiver. But she does appreciate an occasional hat. Everyone likes to feel pretty. lol. She calmed down one day when her caregiver put a hat on her. Her beau is constantly in hats and doesn’t have her mean temperament.

[@souljaunt3291]

Crazyyyy

[@cristabeagan223]

Poor emus 😢

[@Waltyworld]

No there not poor

[@Waltyworld]

The emus are bad

[@tmlee123]

I was today years old when I learned about this and I cant believe this is real history 😂😂😂

[@lol311]

I'm learning it today. First saw in another KZbin comment, didn't believe it. I searched, now I'm here. 😂

[@johnhall7850]

Australia man going to the shop.

[@longrider42]

Are Emu good to eat?

[@alibenkahn5092]

Yes though a bit gamey

[@andrewhallett-patterson9778]

Very. But must be cooked each side equally as if cooking a steak. Shearing in abbot pan with a little butter.👍👍🇭🇲

[@morrisminor56]

ever tried fitting one in an oven? 🤣

[@BornAgainCynic0086]

Taste a bit like wombat.

[@robertburton8055]

@@anthonyj7989 actually they are a red meat… they taste closer to steak than chicken actually

[@angbandsbane]

I still say the Australian army would've won if they'd just borrowed New Zealand's Bob Semple tank.

[@jabba86]

😂😂😂 yea that thing was a beast 😂😂😂

[@ray.shoesmith]

No way the Kiwis would give up a national security secret like the Bob Semple tank to another power.

[@dylanmcneish9240]

When people ask why you need a high capacity mag there you go🤣

[@Eggdog505]

EMU TAKING OVER AUSTRALIA 🇦🇺

[@alexanderp8037]

Eventually emo, i meant emu won the war and took australian woman as bounty. Legends says australia is run by a emu deepstate to this day

[@mickgatz214]

and I thought the rabbits were the problem...

[@scottorgan2255]

Nope it's the cane toad mate

[@christophera556]

As well as rabbits and cane toads being a pest some of the native animals can also be a pest kangaroos wallabies possums and snakes have done very well out of European settlement.The so called emu war if I'm correct some stupid politician got the idea to use the army to cull the excess number of emus at the time in WA instead what the government should have done is hired professional hunters only a stupid pollie could come up with the idea of sending in the army to fire machine guns at emus with the result the emus scattering as soon the soldiers opened fire so the results the army and the federal government defeated by mobs of dumb birds with the pollies being dumber than the birds.

[@cincin4515]

Nope. Wild pigs and dogs.

[@yannisperantonakis2379]

I would rather say that man has always been the main problem. .

[@marlindagomez5766]

Wild animals are breeding fast in Australia

[@sani3583]

Feeling so sad for that bird.

[@TheXaelem]

Im feeling sad for you... 🤦🏻‍♂️

[@born2biscuit]

finally a youtube video about it thats not a shitty cartoon

[@OstrichBopper]

The Emus had it coming

[@jonathanbarnes3061]

Poor little emu's just want a spot of land on God's green earrh.

[@itsy523]

Let's be real, we know who won the Emu War.

[@ERay1080]

I am from Australia

[@cotswoldcuckoo]

Emus, rabbits, poms ... they never stop, those, Aussies.

[@BornAgainCynic0086]

General Haig should have used Emu's!!

[@cdmarshall7448]

Guess making a fence was too hard to do?

[@aby110]

He's the biggest bird

[@EaNasirSellsBadCopperNGL]

Indeed, thats why the aussies lost

[@TrustThePlan]

🍿🥤

[@Secure_It_T]

That wasn’t a war… that was hunting season

[@hadijahabutazil9132]

But this time animals win

[@metallampman]

If you can eat emu.. whats the problem? shoot clean freeze

[@Dark_Knight_5107]

Best part of the video at 3:39 read what the minion preaches

[@cincin4515]

I don't really know how much damage an emu can do but I would've thought they had bigger fish to fry with rabbits and pigs. Aussies - the biggest annihilators of native species anywhere, because everythings a pest.

[@BornAgainCynic0086]

Every culture on every continent (except Antarctica) wiped out 100% of the mega fauna, we (humans) are a virus.

[@miaomiaochan]

The biggest pests in Australia were the human colonizers that started settling on the continent in the 18th century and claimed it as their land.

[@apangolin5746]

the emus were eating crops, during the Great Depression, so they were doing a lot of damage

[@jostewart554]

Poor Emus.

[@loantran-thanh7795]

That is so funny

[@obscuramask7435]

The Emus are winning

[@MarkCerbo]

Koala Man brought me here. 😅

[@BudHarold]

Me too Monty Franklin , seen him live last night with Rob Snieder .. Monty was hilarious

[@ethanladue2745]

Giving them land in west Australia was the first issue

[@aboyazid5946]

الصيد كان بطريقة همجية

[@abcaustralia]

Translation: Hunting was barbaric

[@carsonnesbit1178]

@@abcaustralia thanks but there’s already a button for that lol

[@Zay-yah]

Train a team of big cats to maul them. Wars can be won with love.

[@dawoodwilliams3652]

Australia tried that with some other vermin, it resulted in the cats becoming vermin😂

[@alexandralite835]

Notice how their not saying emoo?

[@johnd87]

Eventually Australia signed treaty document?? Restitution was paid

[@montananerd8244]

Wait, emus can fly??? Or is "full flight" flapping & walking?

[@TheXaelem]

Flight = flee not fly, genius Like in fight or flight. Doesn't always mean to fly

[@SavingPvtBryan32]

Is this real I'm so confused

[@avenotrius4340]

It is

[@ACDZ123]

Yes ..the emus were shooting back lol

[@mollymuch2808]

Unfortunately yes

[@kiwizz2177]

Taste like chicken !

[@nuimproves6906]

You guys where the nuisance! It was their land they came on.

[@noomfy-mopkebab3632]

What I’m trying to understand is why was this war such a failure and why is it so hard to kill an emu?? Coz they’re quick? Not quicker than a bullet! Is it coz they’re all feather and not much body. so the soldiers thought they were taking lethal shots but actually missing?? This doesn’t seem super likely. Altho they WERE missing a lot obviously 😂 Or was it a ptsd thing with all these guys fresh out of ww1?

[@miaomiaochan]

It's because the emus know the land, being that they are a native species that have existed on the plains of Australia for 80 MILLION YEARS. Bumbling British settlers have only occupied Australia since the late 1700s. Go, Team Emu!

[@hivoltage2616]

Emu feather are tough, shooting just one emu could take a while to kill, and with hundreds of them they can run out of ammunition

[@amandeep9930]

I've read that they started forming small groups lead by strong males who'd keep watch as his team looted the filed. As soon as the leader spotted the gunman he'd signal his team and they'd run off.

[@hineraable]

Emu's are basically bulletproof, it takes way too much ammunition to kill just one

[@burningsagemanmusic7491]

PTSD from an Emu War! 🤣

[@yunusahmad-nj1wp]

if emu live in malaysia or indonesia..outo pupus.out of stoke😂

[@kayejohnson3000]

Do they taste like chicken?

[@peaceandlove5214]

Try to destroy their eggs first.

[@ph1380]

😭😂😂😂😂

[@Strider_141]

😂

[@amandeep9930]

😂😂😂

[@doaldox]

At least humans won the Great Dodo war 😅

[@ajunajna223]

I am so happy because Emus win😊😊😊😊❤❤❤

[@davidkim4280]

imagine losing to a bunch of birds. maybe call the usa like in ww2

[@Hueborn]

That's the cost of Veganism.

[@miaomiaochan]

Carnivores are like vegans in the sense that they must always announce their presence to the room and proclaim that eating meat/being vegan is the only way.

[@Hueborn]

@@miaomiaochan But I only did it for your response and without Vegans there would be no reason/response for me to announce my presents or even exist. You complete me.

[@proboxer22]

😂