In 1932, drought-stricken farmers in Western Australia pleaded for government help after thousands of emus rampaged through wheat fields.
Australia's Defence Minister approved an unusual request: send machine guns to fight off the birds.
Soldiers arrived armed with Lewis guns, expecting a quick campaign against creatures with no claws, no teeth, and no obvious defense.
The emus scattered into small groups the moment gunfire started, making it nearly impossible to hit more than a few at a time.
One officer later reported that the emus seemed to post lookouts who watched for danger before signaling the flock to scatter.
After a week of chasing birds across the countryside, the operation was called off having killed only a small fraction of the population targeted.
The military's official campaign against emus is still remembered as one of the rare conflicts where the wildlife outlasted the army sent to stop them.