After the horrors of World War I, the Australian Federal Government gave thousands of discharged veterans money, land and the promise of a bright and happy agricultural life in the Wheatbelt region of Western Australia. Life as a farmer wasn’t easy, but at least these veterans had seen the last of the battlefield. Or so they thought.

The war was over but followed soon after by the great depression in 1929. Hoping to ease the pressure and literally put bread on the table for Australians, the Federal Government promised subsidies to the new farmers to increase their crop production. Wheat prices began to fall and farmers were left wanting when the subsidies never came. The farmers were screwed. And on top of all of this, they found themselves in a battle with an unexpected adversary, pillaging their wheat and destroying their rabbit fences: the emu.

As if plummeting wheat prices and broken promises weren't enough, the veterans-turned-farmers found themselves neck to ample neck with a literal army of emus. 20,000 birds had descended upon the wheat fields (coincidentally smack bang in the middle of their migration route), wreaking havoc on crop yields and perimeter infrastructure. The solution was, of course, clear to these battle-hardened farmers: Guns. Lots of guns.

CHAPTERS:

00:00 The Hardest Animals to Kill with a Gun
02:36 The Plight of World War I Vets Turned Farmers
05:06 The Arrival of the Emus
07:58 The Farmers' Plea for Machine Guns
12:04 Let the Emu War Begin
15:50 First Battle Tactics and Failures
17:34 Emus: Tough as Lead
21:47 Australian Parliament discusses Emu Wars
24:38 The War Continues until 1960
28:56 Bounty Put in Place to End the War
30:02 The Emu War Becomes a Movie

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Episode description

The Emu War: A Deep Dive Into Australia's Feathered Fiasco

Episode description