Today I learned that not only did humans go to “war” with Emus, but they lost!
Weird and horrifying.
There needs to be a video game.
The Aussies also lost the Great Bunny Wabbit war, too. But they don’t talk about that much.
Right!?
Ratite Dead Redemption
Stranger
Well, there is the fairly well-known (at least to me) rabbit-proof fence. (Plus a great movie called Rabbit-Proof Fence, which is not so much about the rabbits, but about a couple of Aboriginal girls walking the length of the 1500-mile long fence to return to their home after being displaced.)
Never heard about the Emu War before, though. Interesting little tidbit.
The worst part about humanity losing the emu war is that one of them now works for Liberty Mutual making TV commercials. We shoulda finished what we started. Or at least killed that one’s grand-dad.
The article was funnier back when it had the war sidebar:
I recommend The Year of the Angry Rabbit, by Russell Braddon.
Ya gotta be careful in the outback - even the kangaroos are armed.
Might have to check that out. Looks like a fun read.
Not to mention the Cane Toad Cold War:
This all reminds me of a somewhat classic short story which involves an island that had a perceived problem with a native bug feeding on the agriculture of something, so they introduced a non-native bug to keep it in check. But the non-native bug became a problem, so they introduced a rodent to eat the bugs. Then the rodent became a problem, so they introduced a larger prey animal, and so on and on until the ecosystem of the island was completely destroyed. Does that ring a bell with anybody? I tried googling and had no luck finding mention of it.
do they still sing songs of the great emu war?
“I Once Knew a Lady Who Swallowed a Fly”?
Not a serious answer, although it does fit.
Similar concept, though not in the style of a nursery rhyme. It was a darkly comedic short story written in the form of a field report to a superior. I’m thinking it was set on a British-controlled tropical island in the Colonial era, say the late 1800s / early 1900s.
The Australians were commanded by Major Gwynydd Purves Wynne-Aubrey Meredith, who was probably also a Monty Python character. And even though he was a major, he led exactly two soldiers into battle with the fearless & wily foe.
It was also a theme alluded to in a Simpsons episode.
(Yes, proving again the old saying, “The Simpsons did it.”)
Snippet from the plot synopsis:
Lisa worries the town will become infested by lizards but Skinner assures her they will send in Chinese needle snakes to eat them, followed by snake-eating gorillas, which will “simply freeze to death” when wintertime rolls around.
OK, that made me laugh out loud. Now I’m envisioning a musical play based on the Emu Wars.
There was also the Pig War. Final death tally was one pig, zero humans…not the bloodiest war out there. Team US won that one.
Thank goodness there wasn’t an Aussie on our team!
Wasn’t the Hatfield/McCoy feud over a pig?
ETA: Yes, Hog Trial.