# The Great Emu War **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [January 18, 2024, 10:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-great-emu-war/996296 "2024-01-18T22:48:17Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Lucas\_Jackson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lucas_jackson/32/303_2.png) [@Lucas\_Jackson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lucas_Jackson)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2024, 10:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-great-emu-war/996296/1 "2024-01-18T22:48:17Z")
Today I learned that not only did humans go to “war” with Emus, but they lost! [Cite.](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Emu_War) Weird and horrifying. ---
**Author:** ![Atamasama](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/atamasama/32/12961_2.png) [@Atamasama](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Atamasama)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2024, 11:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-great-emu-war/996296/2 "2024-01-18T23:04:48Z")
There needs to be a video game. ---
**Author:** ![Duckster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/duckster/32/1244_2.png) [@Duckster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Duckster)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2024, 11:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-great-emu-war/996296/3 "2024-01-18T23:08:38Z")
The Aussies also lost the Great Bunny Wabbit war, too. But they don’t talk about that much. > **[Rabbits in Australia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rabbits_in_Australia)** > > European rabbits (Oryctolagus cuniculus) were first introduced to Australia in the 18th century with the First Fleet, and later became widespread, because of Thomas Austin. Such wild rabbit populations are a serious mammalian pest and invasive species in Australia causing millions of dollars' worth of damage to crops. Their spread may have been enhanced through the emergence of strong crossbreeds. > Various methods in the 20th century have been attempted to control the Australian rabbit populati... ---
**Author:** ![Lucas\_Jackson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lucas_jackson/32/303_2.png) [@Lucas\_Jackson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lucas_Jackson)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2024, 11:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-great-emu-war/996296/4 "2024-01-18T23:09:36Z")
> [@Atamasama](#): > > There needs to be a video game. Right!? ---
**Author:** ![Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/13edae/32.png) [@Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stranger_On_A_Train)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2024, 11:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-great-emu-war/996296/5 "2024-01-18T23:34:32Z")
> [@Atamasama](#): > > There needs to be a video game. _Ratite Dead Redemption_ Stranger ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2024, 11:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-great-emu-war/996296/6 "2024-01-18T23:43:19Z")
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. ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2024, 2:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-great-emu-war/996296/7 "2024-01-19T02:07:36Z")
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. ---
**Author:** ![Dr.Strangelove](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dr.strangelove/32/6613_2.png) [@Dr.Strangelove](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr.Strangelove)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2024, 2:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-great-emu-war/996296/8 "2024-01-19T02:21:12Z")
The article was funnier [back when it had the war sidebar](https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Emu_War&oldid=510193971): [![Imgur](https://i.imgur.com/FqBnyUj.png "imgur.com") ](https://imgur.com/FqBnyUj) ---
**Author:** ![SCAdian](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/scadian/32/3292_2.png) [@SCAdian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SCAdian)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2024, 3:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-great-emu-war/996296/9 "2024-01-19T03:44:57Z")
> [@Duckster](#): > > The Aussies also lost the Great Bunny Wabbit war, too. But they don’t talk about that much. I recommend _[The Year of the Angry Rabbit](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Year_of_the_Angry_Rabbit)_, by Russell Braddon. ---
**Author:** ![Askance](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/askance/32/8281_2.png) [@Askance](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Askance)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2024, 3:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-great-emu-war/996296/10 "2024-01-19T03:50:12Z")
Ya gotta be careful in the outback - [even the kangaroos are armed](https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/shoot-me-kangaroo-down-sport/). ---
**Author:** ![Lucas\_Jackson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lucas_jackson/32/303_2.png) [@Lucas\_Jackson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lucas_Jackson)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2024, 4:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-great-emu-war/996296/11 "2024-01-19T16:53:28Z")
Might have to check that out. Looks like a fun read. ---
**Author:** ![solost](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/solost/32/11776_2.png) [@solost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/solost)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2024, 5:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-great-emu-war/996296/12 "2024-01-19T17:26:43Z")
> [@Duckster](#): > > The Aussies also lost the Great Bunny Wabbit war, too. But they don’t talk about that much. Not to mention the Cane Toad Cold War: > **[Cane toads increasingly a problem in Australia](https://news.mongabay.com/2005/04/cane-toads-increasingly-a-problem-in-australia/)** > > Cane toads increasingly a problem in Australia Cane toads increasingly a problem in Australia Overstaying Their Welcome: Cane Toads in Australia Tina Butler, mongabay.com April 17, 2005 About a week ago, an Australian Minister of Parliament from the... 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. ---
**Author:** ![rocking\_chair](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rocking_chair/32/2918_2.png) [@rocking\_chair](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rocking_chair)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2024, 5:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-great-emu-war/996296/13 "2024-01-19T17:36:09Z")
do they still sing songs of the great emu war? ---
**Author:** ![TroutMan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/troutman/32/6721_2.png) [@TroutMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TroutMan)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2024, 5:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-great-emu-war/996296/14 "2024-01-19T17:36:46Z")
> [@solost](#): > > Does that ring a bell with anybody? “I Once Knew a Lady Who Swallowed a Fly”? Not a serious answer, although it does fit. ---
**Author:** ![solost](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/solost/32/11776_2.png) [@solost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/solost)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2024, 5:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-great-emu-war/996296/15 "2024-01-19T17:49:22Z")
> [@TroutMan](#): > > “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. ---
**Author:** ![muldoonthief](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/muldoonthief/32/3188_2.png) [@muldoonthief](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/muldoonthief)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2024, 6:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-great-emu-war/996296/16 "2024-01-19T18:10:00Z")
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. ---
**Author:** ![Atamasama](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/atamasama/32/12961_2.png) [@Atamasama](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Atamasama)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2024, 6:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-great-emu-war/996296/17 "2024-01-19T18:45:59Z")
> [@solost](#): > > Does that ring a bell with anybody? It was also a theme alluded to in a Simpsons episode. > **[Bart the Mother](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bart_the_Mother)** > > "Bart the Mother" is the third episode of the tenth season of the American animated television series The Simpsons. It originally aired on the Fox network in the United States on September 27, 1998. In the episode, Bart accidentally kills a mother bird with a BB gun, and decides to hatch and take care of the two eggs he found in the bird's nest. > "Bart the Mother" was written by David X. Cohen and directed by Steven Dean Moore; it was the last full-length episode Cohen wrote for The Simpsons b... (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. ---
**Author:** ![Lucas\_Jackson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lucas_jackson/32/303_2.png) [@Lucas\_Jackson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lucas_Jackson)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2024, 6:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-great-emu-war/996296/18 "2024-01-19T18:49:15Z")
> [@rocking\_chair](#): > > do they still sing songs of the great emu war? OK, that made me laugh out loud. Now I’m envisioning a musical play based on the Emu Wars. ---
**Author:** ![wguy123](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wguy123/32/3161_2.png) [@wguy123](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wguy123)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2024, 6:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-great-emu-war/996296/19 "2024-01-19T18:51:24Z")
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. > **[Pig War (1859)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pig_War_(1859))** > >  United States >  United Kingdom > Current Border Disputes > The Pig War was a confrontation in 1859 between the United States and the United Kingdom over the British–U.S. border in the San Juan Islands, between Vancouver Island (present-day Canada) and the State of Washington. The Pig War, so called because it was triggered by the shooting of a pig, is also called the Pig Episode, the Pig and Potato War, the San Juan Boundary Dispute, and the Northwestern Boundary Dispute. Despite being referred to... ---
**Author:** ![Lucas\_Jackson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lucas_jackson/32/303_2.png) [@Lucas\_Jackson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lucas_Jackson)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2024, 6:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-great-emu-war/996296/20 "2024-01-19T18:56:50Z")
> [@wguy123](#): > > 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! > [@wguy123](#): > > 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. > > [Pig War (1859) - Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pig_War_(1859)) Wasn’t the Hatfield/McCoy feud over a pig? ETA: [Yes](https://explorekyhistory.ky.gov/items/show/783), Hog Trial. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-great-emu-war/996296.md?page=2)