The Emu War (or Great Emu War) was a nuisance wildlife management military operation undertaken in Australia in late 1932 to address public concern over the number of emus, large flightless birds indigenous to Australia, said to have been destroying crops in the Campion district within the Wheatbelt of Western Australia. The unsuccessful attempts to curb the emu population led to the deployment of Royal Australian Artillery soldiers armed with Lewis guns—leading the media to adopt the name "Emu War" when referring to the incident. Although many birds were killed, the emu population persisted and continued to cause crop destruction.
Background
Following World War I, large numbers of discharged veterans who served in the war were given land by the Australian government to take up farming within Western Australia, often in agriculturally marginal areas. With the onset of the Great Depression in 1929, these farmers were encouraged to increase their wheat crops, with the government promising—and failing to deliver—assistance in the form of subsidies. Because of the recommendations and the promised...
Adam Katz
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