Emu War

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The Emu War , also known as Great Emu War , was a military operations management of wildlife bullies conducted in Australia at the end of 1932 to address public concerns over the number of emus said to rage in Campion district in Western Australia. Unsuccessful attempts to curb the emu population, a large non-flying bird originating in Australia, employed armed soldiers with Lewis weapons - led the media to adopt the name "War Emu" when referring to the incident. While some birds are killed, emu populations survive and continue to cause crop damage.

Video Emu War

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After World War I, a large number of former soldiers from Australia, along with a number of British veterans, farmed in Western Australia, often in the periphery. With the Great Depression of 1929, these farmers were encouraged to increase their grain harvest, with the promise of the government - and fail to provide - subsidized assistance. Despite the promised recommendations and subsidies, the price of wheat continued to fall, and in October 1932 things became intense, with farmers preparing to harvest the crops of the season while simultaneously threatening to refuse to give grain.

The difficulties faced by farmers increased with the arrival of as many as 20,000 emus. Emus regularly migrate after their breeding season, heading to the coast from the hinterland. With cleared land and additional water supply provided to livestock by Western Australian farmers, emu found that cultivated land was a good habitat, and they began to plunge into agricultural areas - especially marginal farmlands around Chandler and Walgoolan.. Emu is consumed and pampered plants, as well as leaving a large gap in the fence where the rabbit can enter and cause further problems.

The farmers expressed their concerns about the birds that prey on their crops, and representatives of former soldiers were sent to meet with Defense Minister Sir George Pearce. After serving in World War I, the settlers were well aware of the effectiveness of machine guns, and they asked for their placement. The minister agrees, though with the terms attached: the weapons should be used by military personnel, and troop transport will be financed by the Western Australian government, and the farmers will provide food, accommodation and payment for ammunition. Pearce also supports the placement on the grounds that birds will make good tactics, although it has also been argued that some people in government may have seen this as a way of looking to help Western Australian farmers, and toward that goal. cinematographer from Fox Movietone listed.

Maps Emu War

The' War '

Military involvement would begin in October 1932. The 'war' was carried out under the command of Major G.P.W. Meredith of the Seventh Heavy Battery of the Royal Australian Artillery, with Meredith ordering soldiers Sergeant S. McMurray and Gunner J. O'Hallora, armed with two Lewis weapons and 10,000 rounds of ammunition. The operation was delayed, however, by a period of rain that caused emu to spread in a larger area. The rain stopped on November 2, 1932, at which time the troops were deployed with orders to help the farmers and, according to the newspaper accounts, to collect 100 emu skins so that their fur could be used to make hats for light riders.

First experiment

On November 2nd, people went to Campion, where about 50 emus were seen. When the birds were out of range of the rifle, the local settlers tried to lead emus into the ambush, but the birds split into small groups and ran so they were difficult to target. However, while the first shot of a machine gun was ineffective due to range, a second round shot was able to kill a "number" of birds. Later on the same day a small herd was discovered, and "maybe a dozen" birds were killed.

The next important event is on November 4th. Meredith had built an ambush near the local dam, and over 1,000 emus were seen coming into position. This time the shooters waited until the birds were close before firing a shot. The gun was jammed after only twelve birds were killed and the rest scattered before being shot again. No more birds were seen that day.

In the days after Meredith chose to move further south where the birds were "reportedly tame enough," but there was only limited success in spite of his efforts. On the fourth day of the campaign, military observers noted that "each pack seems to have its own leader now - a large black bird that stands six feet tall and keeps an eye on it while his friends do their destructive work and warns them of our approach." At one stage , Meredith even went up one of the rifles on a truck: a move that proved ineffective, because the truck could not ride the birds, and the journey was so rough that the shooter could not shoot all the shots. On November 8, six days after the first engagement, 2,500 rounds of ammunition were fired. The number of birds killed is uncertain: one account estimates that 50 birds, but other accounts range from 200 to 500 - the last number provided by the settlers. Meredith's official report notes that his men did not suffer casualties.

Meringkas culls, ornithologist Dominic Serventy berkomentar:

The dream of the machine-gunner from the point of empty fire into the mass of the busy Emus is soon gone. Emu Command has been shown to command guerrilla tactics, and his heavy troops soon split into countless small units that use uneconomical military equipment. Therefore, the force of the falling field suddenly withdrew from the battle area after about a month.

On November 8, representatives in the Australian House of Representatives discussed the operation. Following the negative coverage of events in the local media, which included claims that "only a few" emu had died, Pearce withdrew military and weapons personnel on 8 November.

After the withdrawal, Major Meredith compares emus to Zulus and commented on the striking maneuvering of emu, even when badly wounded.

If we have a military division with the carrying capacity of these birds then it will face any army in the world... They can face machine guns with tank immunity. They are like Zulu that even dum-dum bullets can not stop.

Second attempt

After the military withdrawal, the emu attack on the plant continues. Farmers are once again asking for support, on the grounds of hot weather and emerging droughts attacking farms in the thousands. James Mitchell, the Premier of Western Australia gave his strong support for renewing military aid. At the same time, a report from the Base Commander was issued indicating that 300 emus had been killed in the initial operation.

Acting upon the request and report of the Base Commander, on November 12, the Minister of Defense approved the resumption of military efforts. He defended the decision in the senate, explaining why troops are needed to combat the serious agricultural threats of the large emu population. Although the military has agreed to lend arms to the Western Australian government in the hope that they will provide the necessary people, Meredith is once again deployed on the ground in the absence of an experienced shooter in the state.

Taking to the field on 13 November 1932, the military found success rates for the first two days, with about 40 emus killed. The third day, November 15, proved far less successful, but on December 2 the soldiers killed about 100 emu per week. Meredith was recalled on December 10, and in his report he claimed 986 murders with 9,860 rounds, with a precise rate of 10 rounds per confirmed murder. In addition, Meredith claimed 2,500 wounded birds had died as a result of their injuries.

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Aftermath

Despite the problems with extermination, farmers in the area once again sought military aid in 1934, 1943, and 1948, which the government rejected. Instead, the bounty system that had been instigated in 1923 was continued, and this proved to be effective: 57,034 bountas were claimed for a six-month period in 1934.

In December 1932, news of the Emu War had spread, reaching the British Empire. Some conservationists there protest the massacre as "the annihilation of rare emus". Dominic Serventy, a prominent bird expert from Australia, described the 'war' as a "mass destruction of birds".

Throughout the 1930s onwards, the exclusion barrier became a popular means of keeping emu out of agricultural areas (other than pests such as dingo and rabbit).

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See also

• Four Campaign Pests

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References

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External links

• How we lost "Emu War"
• Plants & amp; Animals: Emu
• "Attack on Emus". Argus . November 12, 1932

Source of the article : Wikipedia