The Great Emu War. How to lose the war to the birds
Note: in the process of studying the article, the reader may see some similarities with what is happening in Ukraine, but even if they exist, they are completely random. This can be verified by looking at history developments.
The emu is the largest Australian cassowary bird and the second largest after the ostrich.
The main diet consists of plant foods:
Young shoots
plant roots
cereal crops
Herbs
Juicy fruits
In addition, they do not disdain eating insects, mollusks, lizards and small birds.
Emus, with a height of 150 to 190 centimeters, have a mass of 18 to 55 kilograms (30-35 kilograms on average) and are able to move at a speed of 50 km / h in increments of up to 275 centimeters. Emus are nomads and are able to travel long distances in search of food. They know how to swim, they like to sit in the water, but they do not need it much and drink either rarely or whenever possible.
Clawed paws of an impressive size are used as protection, and with a blow, a bird can ruin a metal wire fence. In addition to strong legs, they are also endowed with good eyesight and hearing, which allows them to successfully detect predators. Like other ratites, this monster is able to withstand a wide range of temperatures from -5 to +45 degrees. In the wild, they live from 10 to 20 years, the metabolism proceeds at a low rate.
Emus have 3 toes on each foot, which distinguishes them from ostriches that have only 2 toes. Toes, together with a small amount of bones and associated leg muscles, allow the bird to move at high speeds for a long time. Due to their size, they practically do not have natural enemies.
The bird's eyes are protected by a membrane that protects against dust and dirt, which is common in arid and windy deserts. For breathing in cool weather, emus use their nasal passages, which, like humans, heat the air passing through them. On exhalation, the bird condenses moisture on the cold nasal concha and absorbs it for reuse.
Unlike the extremely aggressive relative of the cassowary, the emu is not friendly enough during the mating season and is able to live quietly next to people ... This was the whole problem.
Debut
At the end of the First World War, returning Australian veterans decided to take up a peaceful business - farming. The unoccupied part of Western Australia was perfect for this, and many kilometers of fences were erected to protect wheat from animals.
With the onset of the Great Depression in 1929, the risks of famine increased and the Australian government turned to its farmers to dramatically increase their supply of crops. To achieve the goal, it was necessary to plow up a large amount of new land, which was eventually done, among other things, thanks to the promise of subsidies, which, oddly enough, was not kept by the government.
The fences set up around the fields were not a serious enough barrier for the emus, who migrated from the central regions to the coast every year. Breaking through the fence about 20 birds ended up in farmers' fields near Campion and Valgulan. In addition to the fact that the wheat was to the taste of the birds who decided not to go anywhere else, the situation was complicated due to the invasion of wild rabbits, from which the fence had previously saved.
Farmers found themselves face to face with a large army and losses. For the first time, they turned to the authorities with a request for help in 1932, and the government responded to the threat.
Mittelspiel
Defense Minister George Pierce promised to help the farmers. To solve the problem, a calculation of 2 soldiers was sent under the command of artilleryman Major Meredith.
They decided to arm themselves with 2 Lewis machine guns and 10 rounds of ammunition for them. But they could not use all the firepower at the same time, since each machine gun required a calculation of 000 people. The cost of food and accommodation for the soldiers was assigned to the farmers.
It was decided to begin the first hostilities in October 1932, but were postponed due to bad weather. The soldiers who arrived on November 2 in Campion found the enemy in the amount of 50 individuals. Since the birds were out of range of machine gun fire, it was decided to organize an ambush. In their turn, the birds chose the tactics of small maneuverable groups and split up, becoming a very inconvenient target for machine-gun fire.
The debut attempt to inflict damage on the enemy was complicated by the enemy's ability to maneuver very quickly. Within a few hours of clashes, a small number of enemy forces were destroyed, the rest fled.
A more serious battle took place on 4 November. About 1 birds moved into the ambush organized by Major Meredithau near the dam. However, the technical imperfection of the Lewis machine gun did not allow the opportunity to be realized and only 000 individuals were destroyed. The rest fled.
After reconnaissance, it was decided to install a machine gun on a truck, hello Toyota, and go to the south of the country, where the birds seemed a more convenient target. As a result, it turned out that it was impossible to shoot accurately at full speed, and the truck was not able to catch up with the birds. By November 8, 2 rounds had been expended, with 500 enemy kills confirmed, although some reports reported a range of 50 to 250. There were no casualties from the Australian armed forces.
Major Meredith's report did not impress the local press, which they immediately reported. As a result of the parliamentary discussion, it was decided to withdraw the military and ignore the problem. Emus celebrated their victory by destroying crops and fences, rabbits most likely helped, but this is not certain. It is not known for certain where the kangaroos were at that time, perhaps they were trained and prepared as a reserve.
Since the farmers were not able to cope with so many birds on their own, they again turned to the army for help. With the support of the Prime Minister, Major Meredith set out on another campaign.
The operation was terminated on 10 December by order of the Minister of Defense. During the fighting, 9 rounds of ammunition were spent and 600 birds were destroyed. Most likely, the damage turned out to be greater due to the military field surgery not developed by the emu, and some significant number of birds died from their wounds.
Andrews
Despite the disappointing results, the government refused to wage full-scale military action. Farmers' requests for help in 1934, 1943 and 1948 were also not granted. However, since 1923, a system of rewards for the destruction of emus was introduced. As a result, the farmers had to mobilize and repel the threat on their own, since many of them were veterans. In the first six months of 1934, 57 applications were applied for their legitimate reward.
Thus, the forces of the mobilized farmers managed to cope with the threat, but the almost one-year confrontation between the army and the birds still fell into history.
Information