In the spring of 1932, thousands of emus marched into Western Australia's wheat fields. They were tall, fast, hungry, and entirely unimpressed by the idea of a border.

The enemy had excellent footwork

For farmers, this was not a charming wildlife encounter. It was a crop crisis. So the government called in the military, supplied them with Lewis guns, and prepared for battle.

The first attempt began in November. Soldiers quickly discovered that emus were difficult targets: they moved in unpredictable groups, scattered when approached, and could run at speeds of up to 30 miles per hour.

A technical victory, perhaps

After days of jams, missed shots, and ammunition shortages, the operation was scaled back. A second attempt had slightly more success, but the emus still managed to keep the upper hand.

The military operation was abandoned, the emus remained, and farmers eventually received government support for fencing. Australia had not technically lost a war, but it had certainly not won one either.