August 18, 2024 • 60 mins
This week, Frank, Bre, and Lynette embark on a wild journey exploring one of the most unusual events in history – the Great Emu War of 1932 in Australia.
In this episode, we dive into the incredible tale of how the Australian military was outsmarted by a flock of flightless birds. From the initial military deployment to the absurd tactics used, and the eventual withdrawal of the troops, we cover every facet of this bizarre conflict. You'll hear about the emus' remarkable resilience and intelligence, and how this unusual war led to significant changes in wildlife management practices in Australia.
Join us as we discuss the implications of this extraordinary event and what it teaches us about human-animal interactions and environmental management. Plus, you'll get some laughs as we imagine the soldiers' frustrations and the emus' clever maneuvers. Don't miss this fascinating and humorous look into a forgotten chapter of history!
Remember to share, rate, review, and subscribe to our podcast on Apple, Spotify, and YouTube. And let us know what keeps you up at night by sending an email to frank@fringebeyondlimits.com, brianna@fringebeyondlimits.com, or lynette@fringebeyondlimits.com. We might feature your story in an upcoming episode!
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
(00:00):
Music.
(00:37):
Welcome to another episode of Fringe Beyond Limits.
Hi guys. Hi everyone. Howdy how.
Welcome back. How you doing? Here, how are you guys doing?
Peachy. I'm alright. Yeah? Yeah. Alright. All right.
(00:58):
Well, I would like to maybe start off this episode with asking listeners to share, to rate,
review,
subscribe to our socials, to podcast.
(01:22):
Whether you're listening on apple spotify
we also have youtube that we
started uploading up on no videos of us yet we don't want to scare everyone
away this is true this is true i am we'll get there one day but right now we
need reconstructive surgery i need a lot of reconstructive surgery.
(01:48):
So if you could reconstruct your face, who would you want to most look like
or resemble? Emma Stone.
She's cute. She is. And I like her. Yeah, she is. I agree. Mila Kunis. Also a good choice.
Uh-oh. Gross.
(02:10):
I don't like that. Change your answer, please. Yeah, I, uh, ooh, ooh, uh.
Well, you're not too late. i'm done that fast huh that was really quick well
you know and i'm i'm happy that speed impresses you guys you could have won
an olympic medal with yes yes with the speed of it yes not with the distance.
(02:35):
What about you you know i have never thought about that till i just asked you
guys really Really? Yeah. Yeah.
I'm telling you, things just pop in my head. Like, I don't really have anything
planned for the podcast ever.
I feel like your brain is one of those jack-in-the-box.
Yes. Do-do-do-do-do-do-do. Oh, I got an idea.
Yeah. Yeah. Exactly. Exactly. There's like no follow-through or anything.
(02:57):
It's just like, hey, I got an idea. Yeah. Exactly. Can you explain it? No, but I have an idea.
I would probably have to go with Sylvester Stallone.
I'm just joking. What? No. I was like, wait, uh-huh. Oh, yeah.
And then I started hanging out like this. Yeah. I don't know.
(03:18):
That's not much different than today. So much. So much different.
I don't know, like...
I definitely don't want to look the way I look now. I mean.
Do you want like a pretty looking man? Do you want a rugged looking woman?
I go back and forth because I'm attracted to both. Okay. What are both of them then?
(03:39):
Yeah. Who crosses the manly, beautiful. If it was one way, what would you pick?
Would be Sam. I can't remember his last name. Hench? No. No, he's older.
Did you ever see, did you ever do the movie? I never did a movie.
Oh, I mean, you have done movies. She don't do movies. Probably not the one
you're about to see. Big Lebowski? I have.
(03:59):
Who's the old man at the bar narrating? Sam something. I don't know.
I'm going to kick myself in the balls for not remembering his name.
I'm bad with names. Sam Elliott.
Sam Elliott. Elliott. So that would be. With the stache and everything.
Yeah. And the big furry eyebrows. Yeah. That would be like the.
He was also in. What do you want to call it?
(04:22):
God. I'm drawing a book. He was in a lot of things. he was roadhouse that's
it yeah he was also in roadhouse which was a great movie tombstone tombstone
yeah so that would be like the rugged look like i would want to look like sam elliott,
all right some cowboy ish yeah yeah yeah einstein yeah should have been a cowboy
(04:43):
boy and if i had to go like pretty hmm maybe like a zach efron okay.
What's that for he was one of my crushes yeah well you know what now i'm your crush
it's gonna look at you two are like made for each other like you're gonna be each other's like yeah
(05:07):
fantasy don't explain
it that way please it was really hard to like
let those words escape my lips yeah
it's listen i get it i'm pretty sure i call it
what it is i'm pretty sure brie has masturbated to me already no yeah no me
is zach affron nope yep six pack and all nope yep so weren't i'm googling this
(05:31):
it says the two of them were in dirty grandpa yes seems fitting i know That's awesome. I know.
I'm your dirty grandpa, Brie. You are a romancer of the elderly.
(05:52):
That nasty. Close. It's okay. I'll come either way.
No, you're nasty. Yeah, I know. But that's okay. Okay. So, guys,
what's new and exciting?
Nothing. Nothing, huh?
(06:16):
I got a trip coming up. Yeah. Going to Napa.
Oh, very nice. And Sonoma for Labor Day weekend. Very nice. That's fun.
That's great. Drink some vinos.
Yeah. We rented a pretty baller ass house, which I'm super thrilled about.
You're going to do a wine. I'm going to do a lot of wine. A lot of wine.
(06:36):
And we decided to splurge for a private chef to come in one night.
So while we're out drinking wine, he'll be making us some dinners. Wow. That's exciting.
Yeah. That is exciting. I'm looking forward to it. Wow, private chef.
Yeah, I've never done that. No, no, that sounds fantastic.
And you would kind of like the whole concept. He's like, give me what you guys
hate and what you guys love, and I'll surprise you with a menu.
(06:59):
The only thing reservation I have is that sometimes when there's fanciness going
on, the portions are small.
You know like like you know you know like a lot of like like like french bistro-esque,
you'd be surprised you can get pretty full on tiny plates when there's
a lot of them well yeah no and that's fine i'm okay with a lot of tiny plates
(07:22):
a lot of tiny blade my issues and when there is tiny plates and not a lot you
know like i need to eat like you know like it's time to eat and we need to put
stuff in my mouth one time we did a
fancy tiny plate restaurant when we were in Australia.
And we were joking like, oh my gosh, we're not going to get full on these like one bite.
(07:46):
Like the dish came out, it was just a spoon, you know, like we're never going to get full here.
I'm not kidding you, like 60 courses later, you're like, we are getting foie gras right now.
I cannot put another bite into my stomach at this point. And we asked the server,
we're like, we're done, right?
Like we can't eat anymore. She's She's like, no, no, no, you have like three
(08:07):
more dessert courses. And we're like, and she laughed.
And then she still proceeded to come out with three more dessert courses.
We got foie gras. Did you eat?
Kangaroo no kangaroo did you
have emu i didn't have emu i had sea
urchin okay i don't recommend it i've tried it twice yeah i didn't like it the
(08:28):
first time but i thought okay michelin restaurant if i don't like it here i
don't like it right have you ever had sea urchin no it is like the texture of
your tongue that disintegrates and dissolves in your mouth like cotton candy,
i'm 100 and it's like salty sea seawatery it's gross it sounds like a dick yeah
(08:49):
which is gross which is dicks dissolve in your mouth they dissolve in mine that's how good i'm i'm in it.
So all right well we got what things that keep you up at night then is that
right yep yeah who Who wants to go first?
Well, since you're going to make fun of me, I might as well go first.
(09:11):
Okay, you'll get it out of the way? I like it. Get it out of the way. All right.
So the way my bed is situated when I look out the window at night,
I'm up against the windows and I'm on the second story. So you're kind of like
at the tree line, if you will.
And in the winter or in the fall when the leaves are gone, essentially,
there is an area on the branches that make a shape of a face.
(09:35):
I call him my green man and I talk to him at night
and when the
leaves don't give me that face like I hate
you I'm done no keep going I'm you're
not I'm fascinated no you're not it's the green man you
talk to him yeah okay man well I call him the green man I told a friend about
(09:56):
this and she's like well the green man's actually like a an earth god or fairy
or part of the fae or whatever and I didn't know that was a thing so So that's
why I talk to him and I'm nice to him because I don't want bad things to befall
me because, you know, the fair little shysters.
And just the other day I was like, no, I haven't said goodnight or whatever.
(10:17):
You know, it's not like I'm having like deep philosophical conversations,
but I just look at him and whatever.
And when the leaves blow, it looks like he moves. It's interesting.
But now that the leaves are filled in, they make a different sort of face,
which is a little more disturbing. So that's what keeps me up at night. Go ahead, pick at me.
(10:40):
You know, I'm not going to pick on you.
I'm just going to end the podcast right now.
I'm going to judge you for all of your thoughts. Please do. I judge myself for my thoughts.
I'll show you a picture of him one day. There's a face there.
Okay. So I just want to make sure. So the way that the branches are situated
(11:04):
and growing, it creates a face.
Yeah. I think we've had a conversation about like face and stuff at one point.
That's pareidolia yeah i think
it's the proper term yeah so i
i understand seeing a face
of that my whole is the interaction that you have does it does the the man in
(11:31):
green or the green man ever talk back to you not like in words if you will no
no i believe that all nature has an essence, has a spirit.
Like before, when I go out foraging and stuff, I don't just go pick flowers
and fruits and berries and mushrooms and stuff like that.
I say thank you and I talk to them before I do so. Okay.
(11:53):
It's a more of a respect thing because I'm taking from, so I'm giving back too.
So that's where it stems from.
All right. That's very interesting. That would keep me up at night as well.
That story is going to keep me up at night. Perfect. great
brie what do you have that keeps you up at night that will eventually keep me
(12:16):
up at night because you believe in that well i've always thought like whenever
you like learn something about history was for example like medieval times and
then like the torture and everything or.
With slaves like civil war and stuff like that i always thought like if i was actually born in that
time or lived in that time would i be a slave or
(12:38):
would i be the one tortured or would i be in royalty like i always
thought about that and that's always something that always kept me about kept me
up at night like i was born back then but what would i have been so you're trying
to do a history right now history like reincarnation type thing and yeah just
kind of curious and like so what would you have been i don't know i always just
(12:59):
like okay what do you think you would have
been i mean let's let's let's work this out so like if
you were born back then knowing with what you know now which isn't
much it's not like knowing not like about knowing what it is it's just like
what would i have been born into okay so like wouldn't my family be on the rich
(13:20):
side would be on the poor side would i be the one being tortured would i would
be the one doing the torturing.
So regardless of what you're born into, you can rise or fall from that status,
right? So you knowing you.
Where do you think you would have ended up? I don't know.
That's why it keeps me up. Society changes you.
(13:42):
I mean, you can say nature, nurture, but... It's both.
But like nurture from, like you said previously, like from today's standard
versus 100 years, 200 years, whatever standard is completely different.
Right, but I mean, it's telling a story, right? Right?
(14:03):
So tell your story on what you think it would unfold as.
That's why it keeps me up at night because I don't know. If I had an answer,
it wouldn't keep me up at night.
So do you play out the different scenarios of what shoes you would fill?
I think the thing, so another example is like the whole gladiator thing,
being stuck, being a gladiator and having to basically fight to death, whatever.
(14:26):
Whatever if i was put in that spot if i
would grew up and i was born into that like how
would i react and like okay do i
keep fighting do i do this or whatever it's just every little
thing is like if i were that if i like but i just
it's crazy i don't know how i would react for anything so i have a question
(14:48):
and and this is sincere when you think of that do you literally just sit there
and just think about what if I was a slave and just it ends there?
No, it's like what if I was a slave? Like would I be making sure I follow directions?
Would I try to be a rebel and try to escape?
(15:11):
If I do escape, what would I do? Would I hide here? Would I hide there?
Okay, so you knowing you the best, how do you answer those what ifs?
Okay we'll go back to the slave thing then keep on that topic
so in my head i would
picture myself planning my escape and finding
(15:32):
the best ways to escape okay but also being paranoid to be found and what would
happen if once i found so knowing now on the potential things of happening to
you if you were caught running away,
(15:53):
would you make that decision to run away or not?
That's a tough one because knowing what I know now, I'll be too scared,
but at the same time, it would be worth it in the end if I actually was able
to have a successful escape route. Okay.
Now you knowing you put yourself in that position with all that fear,
as well as knowing the end goal of being freedom,
(16:16):
would you basically risk your life to escape and be free?
Or would you just say, fuck it, I'm going to just live out whatever it is and
make it the best I can being a slave?
Don't think of the noble answer. Yeah, I know.
Because knowing myself, I will probably keep doing what I'm doing every day and hope for the best.
(16:44):
So you would keep doing, you would be a slave.
I would be a slave. And you would fantasize. But fantasize by escaping.
Of escaping. Yes. Okay. See, that's the process that we like to call thinking.
Yeah. But at the same time, my other issue is what if I was a different person?
(17:04):
Like I'm not the person I am today.
I'm a different person. Right. But that's the other thing keeps me up.
But the only thing you can draw from is what you do know and you do know who you are right now.
So putting yourself in that scenario as you are now is the only thing you can do.
You trying trying to think of you being as a different person is
(17:27):
a moot point because you as a different person will even have this conversation
with yourself but it's crazy to think too is no one knows how they're going
to react in those situations so i could be completely different from what i'm
thinking agree yeah agreed i i've said that before but you can only draw upon what you,
(17:47):
feel and think as the person you are here and now you trying to extrapolate
into these different ways of thinking and these different people that you're creating and.
Doesn't make sense and i think that's where a lot
of your confusion comes in because you want to know which is
great but you don't so stick to what you do
(18:09):
know and you can start creating these different dialogues
within yourself and finding out who you really are yes i get what you're saying
but it's not what i was originally thinking and i don't know how else to explain
it on like why it's a mind thinker for me like i get what you're saying but it's just like.
(18:31):
What if like what if i was born in that time era not this time era what if i
was growing up thinking different ways of doing things and i do now it's just
just the what ifs it makes sense,
i mean it's what keeps you up at night it doesn't have to be no no no
no no yeah i'm just trying to to get you to to
to move forward on that thought yeah
(18:54):
no but it's even if you try it
still it's still gonna be like but but here's the thing we
out of that explanation we got
a new t-shirt idea oh lordy it was
mind thinker did i
say that i don't remember if i said it no it
was great i loved it so mind thinker all right
(19:15):
all right so i
so mine i again i'm gonna go off
of last week so i didn't add anything
to the quotes but i have three more is
it three more is it four more i can count
to seven you know one three
eight so seven so anyway i
(19:37):
have a couple of quotes that kind of keep me up at
night we'll continue on with my saga so here's one all right and it's it's frustrating
that no one has the patience to deal with someone who is just sad.
(19:59):
Mm-hmm. That's true. You know. Sad but true.
Probably the easiest thing, in my opinion, to help someone and just sit with
and talk to is just being sad.
And there's different, you know, sometimes you're just sad to be sad.
I mean, last week we touched a lot on mental health and it's okay,
(20:23):
but like people just can't deal with someone who's just sad.
It makes people so uncomfortable.
Yeah. Mm-hmm. And I wonder why. Do you think, why?
I've never like explored why people are so uncomfortable with it.
But the fact that we ignore it and people are so uncomfortable with it prevents
people from talking about it, displaying it, working through it,
(20:47):
healing through it. Mm-hmm.
And it just perpetuates the cycle. Yeah. Yeah, it's crazy. Yeah.
Yeah. Yeah, so that is one.
Another one that I think affects, just really talks to me personally.
Is if only my heart were as cold as I pretend it is, I could get over it.
(21:14):
What do you guys think of that?
Makes sense. Do you guys ever do that? No.
Why do you think that pertains to you the most? because I mean I hide myself
even from you guys yeah you put on like a facade and,
I like to call it a mask yeah maybe that's why I'm so ugly I just never take
this mask off so you're deflecting I do deflect I don't deflect so what does it mean I get over it.
(21:40):
Get over it didn't the last one say get over it get
over what specifically is there get over
your heart is not cold correct like hoping that you don't have to feel guilty
by saying no to something like this is like a little tiny example but like saying
no to somebody but feeling guilty and wishing that you had that cold heart to
get off like get over that guilty conscious and just Just be like, I don't care.
(22:05):
Okay, yeah. No, that exactly works. Yeah. Yeah, do you guys like that?
Do you guys want one more? I can give you one more.
Lay down. Yeah, all right. So this one also pertains, I feel so it pertains to me as well.
So, an exploration into my soul as much as it is into yours.
(22:27):
So here's the other quote.
Funny that you comfort others with the words you wish to.
To hear yeah right that's true
because you always give out good advice but you don't do you follow that advice
yourself no why would i do that no but it also goes back towards love languages
are you familiar with those yeah there's italian there's french spanish i think is another one no.
(22:55):
Latin no love languages in the sense that you give love in certain ways and
you receive love Love in certain ways, whether it's like acts of service,
words of affirmation. Blowjobs.
That would be an act of service.
I already said that. Sorry. Things of that, but you receive love in a certain way.
(23:17):
So when you try to console someone, you're coming from what you need and what your wound is.
And that might not be what the other person needs.
Are you saying that not everybody needs a blowjob? No, not everybody needs a blowjob. Wow.
I don't think eunuchs need a blue dub. That's controversial.
That might be a conspiracy theory.
(23:41):
Mr. Deflector. Oh, 100%. I'm good at it too. Very good at it.
So yeah, those are the things that keep us up at night. So that was fun.
So guys. We want to know what keeps our listeners up at night.
Let us know. You know what? I would love to do an episode.
So yeah, listeners, send in. We'll keep you guys up at night. We'll do an episode.
(24:04):
Go over your. And if you guys want to write a brief description as to why,
send us an email, frank at fringebeyondlimits.com or Brianna,
B-R-E-A-N-N-A at fringebeyondlimits.com or Lynette,
L-Y-N-E-T-T-E at fringebeyondlimits.com.
(24:29):
Let us know. Let us know. and uh we'll
do a whole episode and we'll feature you
guys so yeah that's a
great idea lynette thanks for bringing that up so today we're talking about
australia's war with the emus did you guys know australia had a war with emus
(24:55):
nope no i'm sitting here slow Hello, blinking you.
I know you are. And I'm loving it. See, I soak that in. Yeah.
Emu, emu, emu, f you. F this.
So, Australia had a war with the emus.
Like officially declared war. A war with the emus and lost.
(25:20):
Interesting, okay. No, let that soak in for a minute. I'm kind of curious on how the story goes.
So I'm also worried what sort of down under lands we're going to adventure on. Yeah.
Australia went to war with emus in 1932.
(25:44):
Was it 1932? Yeah. 1932.
It's a tale of agricultural distress, military intervention,
and believe it or not, a large A large flock of flightless birds outsmarting the army.
The fact that it's an army.
(26:04):
So, here's some background. After World War I, Australia embarked on an ambitious
agricultural expansion program.
The government was eager to repurpose vast tracts of land in Western Australia,
converting them into productive wheat farms.
This initiative was part of a larger effort. Weed farms? Wheat farms.
(26:26):
I heard weed. I heard weed.
You just put a T at the end there.
Without meaning to, I heard weed. Yeah, okay. Wheat farms.
This initiative was part of a larger effort to rehabilitate returning soldiers
by providing them with land and the means to establish new livelihoods.
(26:47):
These soldier settlers were given plots under the Soldier Settlement Scheme,
aiming to boost the nation's agricultural
output and support veterans transitioning back to civilian life.
But the 1930s were a tough time. The Great Depression hit hard and Australia wasn't spared.
(27:09):
Wheat prices plummeted. Farmers were encouraged to produce more despite the falling prices.
What's going on? Something's vibrating.
Rating that's my phone
okay i was like it's making my headset yeah i don't
know what's shaking yeah sorry so wheat
(27:30):
prices plummeted farmers were encouraged to produce more despite the falling
prices and many faced financial ruin adding to their woes was the harsh climate
and geography of western australia it took significant effort to make the land
arable and clearing native
vegetation disrupted local ecosystems,
(27:51):
leading to unintended consequences like soil erosion and the displacement of wildlife.
So, so far, we got some issues, right? Mm-hmm. Yeah. So, the emu problem.
Enter the emus. These large flightless birds native to Australia become unexpected adversaries.
By 1932, tens of thousands of emus migrating from the inland to coastal regions
(28:18):
for breeding descended upon the wheat fields of Western Australia.
This wasn't just a minor inconvenience. convenience. These birds caused significant
damage to crops, worsening the already dire economic situation.
Crop destruction. Emus trampled over the wheat fields, eating and destroying crops.
(28:40):
Vast swaths of farmland were decimated, leading to significant financial losses.
Fencing damage. Emus often broke through fences, searching for food and water,
allowing other pests and livestock to enter and cause further damage,
increasing repair costs and making it difficult to protect crops.
(29:02):
Competition with livestock. The emus also competed with livestock for water
and food resources, straining the farmers' efforts to maintain their herds,
as well as psychological impacts.
The relentless onslaught of
emus caused considerable stress and anxiety among the farming community.
(29:22):
Many farmers felt helpless against the seemingly unstoppable tide of birds exacerbating
broader economic and social hardships.
It kind of sounds like they're thinking of emus as like a pest.
So what are you guys' thoughts so far? Well, my first thought was very random,
was who would win in a fight, an ostrich or an emu?
(29:45):
Then I was like leaning towards an ostrich. A what? A cassowary.
What's a cassowary? like the i'm a super dinosaur version of an emu ostrich
oh with like the bone oh yeah yeah yeah lynette's thingy one yeah but still valid but they just,
(30:07):
okay so like okay no okay go ahead what's up i don't have words because i'm
completely like Like, vert de verk.
Yeah, vert de verk. Yeah, like the Swedish chef. Mm-hmm. Vert de verk.
Vert de verk. Like, I thought Aussies were...
All, like, crocodile leather.
(30:28):
Like, ain't scared of shit.
I'm not putting folks in a bucket, but, like, you live in one of the most dangerous
wildlife countries, continents on the planet. Yes.
So you've got to be pretty tough. You've got spiders the size of dinner plates.
Yes. You know, you've got everything under the sun that can kill you and eat you. Yes. Yeah.
(30:50):
But they're bothered by birds. E-boos.
I mean, they're big birds. they're big birds and they're flightless and they're yellow,
i don't know it's crazy yeah this is a crazy story so desperate farmers reported
the emu invasion to the government the response deploy the military i feel like this little uh,
(31:19):
kind of maybe they're just still like amped up after world
war one like roided up it's just like overdoing it a little bit it's over a
decade later instead of getting like a word too yeah yeah well i mean it's seven
years before that yes but we're still in australia maybe they were just looking
for something to do maybe the military like taxpayer money why didn't they call like a emu wrangler,
(31:43):
The Emu Whisperer? Yeah. Crocodile Dundee or something.
Steve Irwin. Just call Steve Irwin. I don't know if he was born yet, but yeah.
Yeah. No, no, no. I think the correct response is deploy the military. My goodness.
Major GPW Meredith of the
7th Heavy Battery of the Royal Australian
(32:06):
Artillery was tasked with
leading the operation equipped with soldiers and
two lewis machine guns i want to know what
this major may have thought get having that
like get thrown on his desk hey you're gonna be uh taking lead
on this operation you're in war with emus good luck
like what's your thought like if that was
(32:28):
you frank what was your what would your thought be i would
be so pissed that i got assigned signed birds that
would be me are you fucking kidding me like i
am major meredith well he
doesn't look like the brightest crayon in the box he's australian okay i mean
(32:48):
this is the penal colony we're talking about right yeah the penal colony the
penis all right so the first First offensive was November 2nd, 1932.
The attempt to combat the emus near Campion, Western Australia.
(33:08):
Major Meredith and his men set up to ambush at a dam where over a thousand emus
had been spotted. The plan was simple.
Corral the birds and mow them down with a machine gun. Oh my God.
A little overkill there.
No pun intended. No.
But as the emus approach the soldiers open fire and quickly realize their mistake
(33:35):
the birds scattered in all directions emus can run up to 50 kilometers an hour
what is it like 40 miles an hour sure,
and often zigzagged to evade predators. The initial encounter resulted in very
few emu casualties and highlighted the birds' resilience and elusiveness.
(33:57):
I wonder how many human casualties there were. They had to have shot each other too, right?
Right. I hope so. Especially if they scattered and they were going zigzagged.
You would think they would miss and hit their own.
This is what I picture. I picture teenagers house party. oh just like the mad
scatter yeah it's like cops go and she's.
(34:21):
Okay the second offensive
was two days later november 4th
1932 the soldiers moved to
a new location near a local farm where emus
were causing havoc those fucking teenagers just drinking and
just yep just next house this time
meredith set up his machine guns on a truck
(34:43):
to increase mobility and chase the emus i
can't stop laughing these poor
animals however the rough terrain made
it difficult to maintain steady aim and the
emus once again demonstrated their adaptness to
escaping danger in one notable
incident the truck got stuck in a rabbit hole how
(35:06):
big are these fucking rabbits i told you everything is dangerous
in australia rendering the mountain rabbit probably
it's like the same like it's big everything's bigger than texas i feel like
everything's bigger in australia oh god rendering the mountain machine gun useless
and allowing the emus to escape unscathed the soldiers managed to kill only
(35:27):
a small number of emus and the operation was again unsuccessful.
All right, so you're 0 for 2. That's what I'm saying. You're 0 for 2. This guy. I am?
Yes, you personally are 0 for 2. You looked at me and you're like,
you are 0 for 2. I was hoping to get some sort of reaction from you other than me.
Well, these poor animals. You're talking to a vegetarian over here and they
(35:51):
want to mow down animals with. No, you eat meat. Just not with feet.
So you're a pescatarian. Yeah. Okay. Okay. I'm still not catching fish with machine guns.
You're using hand grenades like our southern people,
yeah all right so throughout november okay so mind you november 2nd failed november
(36:18):
4th failed throughout november for the end the rest of the month right,
major meredith and his troops continued their
attempts they moved to areas with higher concentration
of emus hoping to improve their chances
despite these adjustments the emus continued to outmaneuver the soldiers in
(36:40):
another significant engagement soldiers ambushed over a thousand okay like how
do you ambush do you dress up like an emu.
I mean, that's one way to sneak up on him. You know, you tap on his shoulder.
Hey, buddy, what are your plans?
Or do you, like, maybe he's dressed up like a kangaroo, like an enemy?
(37:02):
Oh, God, I don't know. Just walking in, somebody coming here.
I feel as though somebody's watching me. Different song, but okay, keep going.
Soldiers ambushed over a thousand emus near a small town. As they began firing,
the emus divided into smaller groups and quickly dispersed. burst.
The machine guns designed for stationary targets were ineffective against the
(37:27):
swift scattering birds.
After days of pursuit, the military had only managed to kill about a thousand
emus, far short of the estimated population causing the agricultural damage.
I feel like the Australian military need to take tips from these emus.
They need something. I don't know know what that something is but they're being
(37:51):
out maneuvered by birds yeah i mean how could they not know that that would
be a thing so what went wrong everything several factors lots,
number one we're dealing with convicts right i mean convict the singer convict.
(38:16):
No. Emus could quickly outrun the soldiers and their vehicles,
making it nearly impossible to engage them effectively with machine gun fire.
The emus' natural evasive behaviors made the military's approach ineffective.
Their tendency to scatter into smaller groups upon encountering danger meant
significant casualties were hard to inflict.
(38:39):
The rugged terrain provided ample cover for the emus.
Soldiers struggled to maintain effective firing positions and often found their
lines of sight obstructed.
Machine guns in the field presented logistical challenges. The weapons were
heavy, required regular maintenance, and had limited mobility.
The soldiers' inability to quickly reposition the guns hindered their effectiveness.
(39:05):
They would have, speaking to you as a pescatarian, they would have had better
luck throwing a hand grenade.
Yeah, until they scattered. So I still think... Yeah, but you'd throw it,
roll it in there, whatever you got to do, and it's going to take them all out.
(39:26):
It's only a certain amount of distance from the grenade, so not all of them
will have it. So the ones around it will scatter. It's just water balloon.
Water balloon. Have you seen... So this is what I pictured. I pictured you need
Ace Ventura for this. Oh, gosh.
Did you see the second one, Ace Ventura and When Nature Calls?
Did you do that movie? That's the answer to my question. That's a no.
(39:46):
That question, yeah. I fucking hate you.
So he builds a mechanical rhinoceros.
Okay, this already sounds stupid.
So it feels like you need a mechanical emu filled with explosives and just kind
of just Trojan horse it. Just Trojan horse it, yeah. Okay.
(40:11):
Or just spread out landmines or something so when they come back to the farm,
just blow Blow up the farm.
Well, then you can't do that because then knowing them, they'd lose track of
which landmine blew up and which ones didn't. And what if it blows up other animals?
Take them all out. Take all the humans on emus out.
(40:32):
Then nobody will have a problem. Should we just drop the bomb on Australia as a whole then?
No. If they have a problem, they can figure it out and they can blow each other
up. If they have a problem, yo, I'll solve it.
Check out my kicks as my DJ revolves it. Ice, ice, baby.
Too much. Too much. Anyways. So perhaps the most fascinating was the emus' intelligence
and adaptive strategies.
(40:53):
Observations indicated that emus could communicate and coordinate their movements to some extent.
Emus often posted sentries to alert the group of any approaching danger,
allowing the flock to disperse before the soldiers could get within effective firing range.
Additionally, the emus demonstrated an ability to exploit weaknesses in the soldiers' tactics.
(41:19):
They frequently changed their routes to avoid known ambush locations and use
the terrain to their advantage.
In one engagement near a watering hole, emus approached cautiously and retreated
quickly at the first sound of gunfire, effectively avoiding mass casualties.
So the emus were smarter.
(41:42):
It wasn't just their...
Approach and the way that they would avoid danger as a
unlearned ability right as a as
a reaction they also outsmarted they
sound like a collective consciousness like other birds other birds demonstrate
this today like you know your starlings who fly in murmurations and everything
(42:04):
like that sure no no right but at the same time they were smarter than the humans
i yeah i think a lot of animals are smarter than us we just don't like to think
that we just think we're top of the No, I agree.
I agree, but this is amazing that the Australian government were outwitted by birds.
(42:25):
I am loving this story.
So, the government's decision to withdraw.
By the end of November 1932, it became clear the military intervention was a failure.
You think? think despite several weeks of
(42:45):
effort the emu population remained largely unaffected and crop damage continued
the soldiers having expanded significant resources i'm sorry expended significant
resources and facing public ridicule
had to acknowledge their inability to effectively deal with the emus.
On December 10th, 1932, the government officially called the military operation.
(43:10):
Major Meredith and his men were withdrawn and the Emu War was brought to an end.
The decision was based on the recognition that the Emus were too agile and intelligent
to be defeated by traditional military tactics.
Continued efforts would only result in further waste of resources and potential embarrassment.
The media coverage of the Emu War was widespread and often critical.
(43:35):
Newspapers newspapers mocked the
military's inability to defeat a flock of
birds and the operation became a source of
national embarrassment the failure highlighted the
absurdity of using military forces to address an
ecological problem and prompted discussions about more appropriate methods of
(43:56):
wildlife management seriously at least it was a short or two months a month
and a half yeah and again i can't reiterate this enough that the australian military.
Waved the white flag did the
emus sign like a peace treaty peace treaty yeah they took their or their whatever
(44:21):
their claw their claw into ink and then i don't know they seem smart enough
they might have actually written up the peace treaty and say back down motherfuckers,
How many claws does an emu have? Is it three?
Four. Three in the front, one in the back. Okay.
God, here we go again. Is that like four in the pink and the thumb in the stink? Yeah, sure.
(44:48):
Little Robert the Dolman. Do you think as the military retreated back,
they just held up their middle claw?
Maybe. Flipped everyone off?
I don't know if they have one in the back. It looks like just three in the front.
Oh, so if you liked it in the back, you're SOL?
Oh, that's one big middle finger. Yeah. Thank you for noticing.
(45:10):
So following the withdrawal of the military, the government and farmers turned
to alternative measures to address the emu problem.
Reintroduced to encourage farmers and local hunters to control the emu population,
financial incentives aimed to reduce emu numbers more effectively and sustainably.
Investments were made in robust and taller fences that could withstand the strength
(45:33):
and persistence of emus.
Electrified fences and better materials helped keep emus out of farmlands,
protecting crops and reducing the need for lethal measures.
Why was that not the first thing?
Somebody had Napoleon Complex, apparently. I mean... And they had a budget to blow.
I mean... This is... That's insane. Same.
(45:54):
Efforts included managing water sources and planting crops less appealing to
the birds, discouraging them from entering farmland.
Further research into emu behavior and ecology helped develop more effective
management strategies, understanding the birds' migration patterns,
breeding habits, and dietary needs allowed for more targeted and humane control methods.
(46:19):
This, what were you going to say? No, I was just going to say,
well, Well, if you think back to that time, like the male ego,
the tough guy, like that was the culture.
Like, so they're like modern ecology and animal welfare wasn't a thing.
It was how much can I dominate control and take over and show my toughness. That was 90 years ago.
(46:46):
Yeah. I think it's still the same thing.
I think you know i mean
look at today it's like oh fucking nerds you
know we'll just go fucking shoot them you know
we're all gonna get guns you know i mean listen i'm not against guns my dad
was an officer and he was a hunter and that's great i have no issues with people
(47:08):
doing any of that it's the mentality behind it that i have the issue with you
know so we're still like I like that today, you know?
Yeah, but we have people who equally care about other things to somewhat balance it. Yeah, 100%, we do.
But it's still just baffling. I think the same thing would happen today, you know?
(47:31):
Not if pita had a say in it. You know, pita drives me crazy.
Like pita falafels and- Like, I love a good pita. Gyros and stuff. Ooh, gyro.
Those gyros are so good. Gyros. You made fun of my husband for wanting to get a gyro last night.
Yeah. We went to a very nice Greek restaurant and I'm like, you know, I, I got the.
(47:55):
Greek big chicken. The Greek chicken, you know, and the Greek potatoes.
And he goes, oh, I think I'm going to do the gyro platter.
I'm like, no, you don't get a gyro. You get something more authentic. It's a platter.
And there's three. There was a trio. so there was three different types of euros on it.
Yeah. If we were at lunch, that'd be great. We're at dinner.
(48:18):
That's not a dinner. What, halal food isn't allowed at dinner?
He's still got a pita sandwich, though. I know. He's still got a pita sandwich. Good for him. Right?
Yeah. I'm surprised he didn't get the hamburger. They had a hamburger on there. It was a lamb burger.
A lamb burger. There was a lamb and a hamburger. I saw the lamb burger.
Why do they call it ham when it's beef?
(48:38):
That's a good question, actually. That keeps me up at night, too. That's a new one.
I don't want to know. I would rather take a deep dive into the studying the
efforts that were put into this emu war than talking to you two right now.
Okay. So I'm going to get back to this.
So let's see. Where did I? I lost my spot. See? Yeah.
(49:01):
The emu war highlighted the complexity of wildlife management and the need for
more sustainable approaches. In subsequent years, Australian authorities explored
ecological solutions balancing wildlife and farming needs.
Emphasis on creating a balance between agricultural development and wildlife conservation.
(49:22):
Measures included restoring native vegetation in non-farming areas to provide
alternative habitats for emus.
Engaging local communities in wildlife management became key.
Education programs informed farmers about non-lethal methods of emu control
and the importance of ecological balance.
Government policies were reformed to support sustainable agricultural practices
(49:48):
and wildlife management, including funding for research, subsidies for protective
measures, and support for conservation initiatives.
So all this stuff was good that came out of it, I guess, out of their stupidity.
I'm going to get myself an emu flag and fly it in the front porch do it emus
(50:09):
forever make emus great again yeah make emus great again mega.
I love it.
Mega. Mega.
Good for them. I'm proud of those emus. Oh, me too. I mean, that's just great.
(50:29):
Nobody puts an emu in a box. Nobody puts emu in a corner. Corner, yeah.
The emu war has become part of Australian folklore, often referenced humorlessly
in discussions about military inefficacy and human-animal conflicts.
It serves as a reminder of the challenges in managing wildlife in agricultural
regions and the unforeseen consequences of straightforward solutions.
(50:55):
Depicted in various media forums, including documentaries, books,
and comedy sketches, the Emu Wars portrayal often highlights the absurdity of
the situation and the resilience of the emus.
Used in educational context to
teach lessons about environmental management military history and
human animal interaction provides a unique example of how to how not to approach
(51:17):
wildlife management the emu's victory was has turned them into a symbol of resilience
and adaptability reminding people of the importance of respecting and understanding the natural world.
The Emu War of 1932 serves as a unique case study in environmental history and
(51:37):
human-animal interaction.
It underscores the importance of understanding ecological dynamics and the potential
pitfalls of applying military tactics to environmental challenges.
While the conflict itself was a failure, it paved the way for more sustainable
and effective wildlife management approaches in Australia.
The lessons from the emu war have informed better practices in balancing agricultural
(52:02):
needs with wildlife conservation, highlighting the value of adaptive and ecological
informed strategies. Well.
Well. What are your guys' final thoughts on this?
Like, this is just fucking amazing.
This is the most amazing thing I've ever read in my life and doing research
(52:25):
on was the Emu War that Australia's military fumbled.
I'd love to know what the dollar amount was, what they spent on all that.
Yeah, that is interesting. I bet you that's all suppressed.
Yeah. I mean, let's be honest.
If I was the state and I lost a war to a bunch of fucking birds that can't fly
(52:52):
away. Remember, they're flightless birds.
They're just running around zigzagging.
I'm pretty sure I can get away from the Australian military by just zigzagging now. Wow.
Well. You know, that's also a way to get away from like crocodiles and alligators
(53:13):
because they can't run side to side.
They can only run in a straight line. So you zigzag. Yep.
Actually, when I went down to Florida, they said that when you run,
take a sharp turn and then go directly that way too because they can't.
Mm-hmm. Yeah. Yeah, I'm pretty sure I can fuck up an alligator.
(53:35):
I'd like to see you try. I will.
Oh, yeah. Yeah, what? Do you think I could fuck up? You're going to fuck up an alligator? Yeah.
Yeah, I don't know. Probably not. No? I think so.
What what wild animal do
you think what's the biggest wild animal you guys think you can beat in a fight
i don't want to hurt animals okay life or death scenario you're gonna fight
(54:00):
i'm not saying that you're gonna just like walk out and kick a bunny i might
if they keep eating my garden okay.
A raccoon that's the biggest hell's
gonna city same thing dude raccoons get huge
are you kidding me and they can be very evil they're small enough that i can
(54:22):
overpower it i think although if i kick it it'll probably like grab my leg and
climb on me like a tree and then i'm just done and then slice my throat poke
my eyes and then i'm dead what are you dealing with jack the ripper of Of raccoons? They're evil.
I mean, I don't think they're evil, but they got sharp little claws and little teeth.
(54:42):
I'm pretty sure. Possum, too. They'd probably choke me with their tail.
Life or death scenario, I could probably do some sort of...
Like a wild cat. No way, man. Those are pure muscle. How big of a wild cat are
you talking? Like somebody's house cat who turned feral?
(55:05):
Fifi got out of the house. A tomcat. You can take out a tomcat.
I wouldn't fuck with a tomcat either. No, I would probably say I can take out a coyote.
Well, they're a little more weenie-ish. Okay. Than a cat.
Well, like. I wouldn't fuck with a wild cat. Yeah. Yeah, like a puma or a cougar.
(55:27):
But there are smaller versions of that. Like a lynx? Yeah.
Or a bobcat? Yeah, a bobcat. I think I could take out a bobcat.
Hand-to-hand combat. I don't think so.
I think I could. I don't know. I think I could. I'm not saying I'm going to
take out a mountain lion. Like, no. That thing will fuck me up.
(55:52):
Bobcats have retractable claws i just want to know how long their claws are
retractable penis yeah well that's not going to win you any wars against bobcat
you don't know that you're going to be a bobcock i'm going to be a bobcock babcock
no i i think i think i could take out a bobcat,
no thanks yeah good luck aren't they like endangered don't take out a bobcat
(56:17):
yeah i I don't want to, you know, I'm just saying like I could take out a large dog.
I guess. Like a German shepherd. I would fuck a German shepherd up.
Not a wild German shepherd. Yeah.
I would fuck it up. No, that's like a wolf.
No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no. That's not a wolf.
A dog the size of a German shepherd that's wild is like a wolf.
(56:39):
No, a wolf is twice the size of a German shepherd. Depending on the kind of wolf.
There's different kinds of wolves. There's some wolves that are smaller.
Yeah, I understand that.
But a wolf is twice the size of a German Shepherd.
Sure. Have you ever seen a wolf? Wolf in the zoos? Yeah, I've seen them in the wild.
(56:59):
The wilds of Illinois? Of Minnesota, up in the Boundary Waters.
It says a wolf stands about 26 to 32 inches tall and weighs 80 to 180 and a
German Shepherd stands 22 to 24 inches tall. They're almost the same height.
Dang, she got you. Wolves are twice the size of a fucking German Shepherd.
(57:21):
I don't believe it. But I could fuck up a German Shepherd. Okay.
Well, let's stop talking about the animals that you would fuck up.
Let's talk about the animals that would fuck you up.
Oh, all of them. The rest of them. A goldfish. Yes.
I would try to eat it and I would choke and die. See, fuck you up.
Yeah, it worked. The last bubble laugh.
Yeah, funny is that the goldfish would turn me blue.
(57:43):
See? So, all right. Anything else we'd like to add to this?
We need to remind Washington Mutual that they should use this content in their commercial.
I want to see them reference the badass emu in their commercial.
Washington Mutual, if you're listening, please reference the emus that fucked
(58:05):
up the, I mean, I know it's not much, the Australian military.
Shows how adaptive they are. How badass they are. And agile they are.
Yeah. Or how stupid Australians are.
You know, I mean, listen, I joke. I kid. I don't mean anything bad to our Australian friends.
(58:25):
He only means bad things when he talks to us.
Yes yes that's it so all right well that's all i got today same got nothing
else what sound does an emu make what the fuck no it's not what an emu goes something like a.
(58:49):
I don't think so,
i think they sound more like a dinosaur or yeah so anywho like that yeah okay
all right well thank you for coming on this ride,
australians losing the war to the emus yeah again my name is frank my name is
(59:13):
brie and this has been fringe beyond.
Music.
Music.
(00:37):
Welcome to another episode of Fringe Beyond Limits.
Hi guys. Hi everyone. Howdy how.
Welcome back. How you doing? Here, how are you guys doing?
Peachy. I'm alright. Yeah? Yeah. Alright. All right.
(00:58):
Well, I would like to maybe start off this episode with asking listeners to share, to rate,
review,
subscribe to our socials, to podcast.
(01:22):
Whether you're listening on apple spotify
we also have youtube that we
started uploading up on no videos of us yet we don't want to scare everyone
away this is true this is true i am we'll get there one day but right now we
need reconstructive surgery i need a lot of reconstructive surgery.
(01:48):
So if you could reconstruct your face, who would you want to most look like
or resemble? Emma Stone.
She's cute. She is. And I like her. Yeah, she is. I agree. Mila Kunis. Also a good choice.
Uh-oh. Gross.
(02:10):
I don't like that. Change your answer, please. Yeah, I, uh, ooh, ooh, uh.
Well, you're not too late. i'm done that fast huh that was really quick well
you know and i'm i'm happy that speed impresses you guys you could have won
an olympic medal with yes yes with the speed of it yes not with the distance.
(02:35):
What about you you know i have never thought about that till i just asked you
guys really Really? Yeah. Yeah.
I'm telling you, things just pop in my head. Like, I don't really have anything
planned for the podcast ever.
I feel like your brain is one of those jack-in-the-box.
Yes. Do-do-do-do-do-do-do. Oh, I got an idea.
Yeah. Yeah. Exactly. Exactly. There's like no follow-through or anything.
(02:57):
It's just like, hey, I got an idea. Yeah. Exactly. Can you explain it? No, but I have an idea.
I would probably have to go with Sylvester Stallone.
I'm just joking. What? No. I was like, wait, uh-huh. Oh, yeah.
And then I started hanging out like this. Yeah. I don't know.
(03:18):
That's not much different than today. So much. So much different.
I don't know, like...
I definitely don't want to look the way I look now. I mean.
Do you want like a pretty looking man? Do you want a rugged looking woman?
I go back and forth because I'm attracted to both. Okay. What are both of them then?
(03:39):
Yeah. Who crosses the manly, beautiful. If it was one way, what would you pick?
Would be Sam. I can't remember his last name. Hench? No. No, he's older.
Did you ever see, did you ever do the movie? I never did a movie.
Oh, I mean, you have done movies. She don't do movies. Probably not the one
you're about to see. Big Lebowski? I have.
(03:59):
Who's the old man at the bar narrating? Sam something. I don't know.
I'm going to kick myself in the balls for not remembering his name.
I'm bad with names. Sam Elliott.
Sam Elliott. Elliott. So that would be. With the stache and everything.
Yeah. And the big furry eyebrows. Yeah. That would be like the.
He was also in. What do you want to call it?
(04:22):
God. I'm drawing a book. He was in a lot of things. he was roadhouse that's
it yeah he was also in roadhouse which was a great movie tombstone tombstone
yeah so that would be like the rugged look like i would want to look like sam elliott,
all right some cowboy ish yeah yeah yeah einstein yeah should have been a cowboy
(04:43):
boy and if i had to go like pretty hmm maybe like a zach efron okay.
What's that for he was one of my crushes yeah well you know what now i'm your crush
it's gonna look at you two are like made for each other like you're gonna be each other's like yeah
(05:07):
fantasy don't explain
it that way please it was really hard to like
let those words escape my lips yeah
it's listen i get it i'm pretty sure i call it
what it is i'm pretty sure brie has masturbated to me already no yeah no me
is zach affron nope yep six pack and all nope yep so weren't i'm googling this
(05:31):
it says the two of them were in dirty grandpa yes seems fitting i know That's awesome. I know.
I'm your dirty grandpa, Brie. You are a romancer of the elderly.
(05:52):
That nasty. Close. It's okay. I'll come either way.
No, you're nasty. Yeah, I know. But that's okay. Okay. So, guys,
what's new and exciting?
Nothing. Nothing, huh?
(06:16):
I got a trip coming up. Yeah. Going to Napa.
Oh, very nice. And Sonoma for Labor Day weekend. Very nice. That's fun.
That's great. Drink some vinos.
Yeah. We rented a pretty baller ass house, which I'm super thrilled about.
You're going to do a wine. I'm going to do a lot of wine. A lot of wine.
(06:36):
And we decided to splurge for a private chef to come in one night.
So while we're out drinking wine, he'll be making us some dinners. Wow. That's exciting.
Yeah. That is exciting. I'm looking forward to it. Wow, private chef.
Yeah, I've never done that. No, no, that sounds fantastic.
And you would kind of like the whole concept. He's like, give me what you guys
hate and what you guys love, and I'll surprise you with a menu.
(06:59):
The only thing reservation I have is that sometimes when there's fanciness going
on, the portions are small.
You know like like you know you know like a lot of like like like french bistro-esque,
you'd be surprised you can get pretty full on tiny plates when there's
a lot of them well yeah no and that's fine i'm okay with a lot of tiny plates
(07:22):
a lot of tiny blade my issues and when there is tiny plates and not a lot you
know like i need to eat like you know like it's time to eat and we need to put
stuff in my mouth one time we did a
fancy tiny plate restaurant when we were in Australia.
And we were joking like, oh my gosh, we're not going to get full on these like one bite.
(07:46):
Like the dish came out, it was just a spoon, you know, like we're never going to get full here.
I'm not kidding you, like 60 courses later, you're like, we are getting foie gras right now.
I cannot put another bite into my stomach at this point. And we asked the server,
we're like, we're done, right?
Like we can't eat anymore. She's She's like, no, no, no, you have like three
(08:07):
more dessert courses. And we're like, and she laughed.
And then she still proceeded to come out with three more dessert courses.
We got foie gras. Did you eat?
Kangaroo no kangaroo did you
have emu i didn't have emu i had sea
urchin okay i don't recommend it i've tried it twice yeah i didn't like it the
(08:28):
first time but i thought okay michelin restaurant if i don't like it here i
don't like it right have you ever had sea urchin no it is like the texture of
your tongue that disintegrates and dissolves in your mouth like cotton candy,
i'm 100 and it's like salty sea seawatery it's gross it sounds like a dick yeah
(08:49):
which is gross which is dicks dissolve in your mouth they dissolve in mine that's how good i'm i'm in it.
So all right well we got what things that keep you up at night then is that
right yep yeah who Who wants to go first?
Well, since you're going to make fun of me, I might as well go first.
(09:11):
Okay, you'll get it out of the way? I like it. Get it out of the way. All right.
So the way my bed is situated when I look out the window at night,
I'm up against the windows and I'm on the second story. So you're kind of like
at the tree line, if you will.
And in the winter or in the fall when the leaves are gone, essentially,
there is an area on the branches that make a shape of a face.
(09:35):
I call him my green man and I talk to him at night
and when the
leaves don't give me that face like I hate
you I'm done no keep going I'm you're
not I'm fascinated no you're not it's the green man you
talk to him yeah okay man well I call him the green man I told a friend about
(09:56):
this and she's like well the green man's actually like a an earth god or fairy
or part of the fae or whatever and I didn't know that was a thing so So that's
why I talk to him and I'm nice to him because I don't want bad things to befall
me because, you know, the fair little shysters.
And just the other day I was like, no, I haven't said goodnight or whatever.
(10:17):
You know, it's not like I'm having like deep philosophical conversations,
but I just look at him and whatever.
And when the leaves blow, it looks like he moves. It's interesting.
But now that the leaves are filled in, they make a different sort of face,
which is a little more disturbing. So that's what keeps me up at night. Go ahead, pick at me.
(10:40):
You know, I'm not going to pick on you.
I'm just going to end the podcast right now.
I'm going to judge you for all of your thoughts. Please do. I judge myself for my thoughts.
I'll show you a picture of him one day. There's a face there.
Okay. So I just want to make sure. So the way that the branches are situated
(11:04):
and growing, it creates a face.
Yeah. I think we've had a conversation about like face and stuff at one point.
That's pareidolia yeah i think
it's the proper term yeah so i
i understand seeing a face
of that my whole is the interaction that you have does it does the the man in
(11:31):
green or the green man ever talk back to you not like in words if you will no
no i believe that all nature has an essence, has a spirit.
Like before, when I go out foraging and stuff, I don't just go pick flowers
and fruits and berries and mushrooms and stuff like that.
I say thank you and I talk to them before I do so. Okay.
(11:53):
It's a more of a respect thing because I'm taking from, so I'm giving back too.
So that's where it stems from.
All right. That's very interesting. That would keep me up at night as well.
That story is going to keep me up at night. Perfect. great
brie what do you have that keeps you up at night that will eventually keep me
(12:16):
up at night because you believe in that well i've always thought like whenever
you like learn something about history was for example like medieval times and
then like the torture and everything or.
With slaves like civil war and stuff like that i always thought like if i was actually born in that
time or lived in that time would i be a slave or
(12:38):
would i be the one tortured or would i be in royalty like i always
thought about that and that's always something that always kept me about kept me
up at night like i was born back then but what would i have been so you're trying
to do a history right now history like reincarnation type thing and yeah just
kind of curious and like so what would you have been i don't know i always just
(12:59):
like okay what do you think you would have
been i mean let's let's let's work this out so like if
you were born back then knowing with what you know now which isn't
much it's not like knowing not like about knowing what it is it's just like
what would i have been born into okay so like wouldn't my family be on the rich
(13:20):
side would be on the poor side would i be the one being tortured would i would
be the one doing the torturing.
So regardless of what you're born into, you can rise or fall from that status,
right? So you knowing you.
Where do you think you would have ended up? I don't know.
That's why it keeps me up. Society changes you.
(13:42):
I mean, you can say nature, nurture, but... It's both.
But like nurture from, like you said previously, like from today's standard
versus 100 years, 200 years, whatever standard is completely different.
Right, but I mean, it's telling a story, right? Right?
(14:03):
So tell your story on what you think it would unfold as.
That's why it keeps me up at night because I don't know. If I had an answer,
it wouldn't keep me up at night.
So do you play out the different scenarios of what shoes you would fill?
I think the thing, so another example is like the whole gladiator thing,
being stuck, being a gladiator and having to basically fight to death, whatever.
(14:26):
Whatever if i was put in that spot if i
would grew up and i was born into that like how
would i react and like okay do i
keep fighting do i do this or whatever it's just every little
thing is like if i were that if i like but i just
it's crazy i don't know how i would react for anything so i have a question
(14:48):
and and this is sincere when you think of that do you literally just sit there
and just think about what if I was a slave and just it ends there?
No, it's like what if I was a slave? Like would I be making sure I follow directions?
Would I try to be a rebel and try to escape?
(15:11):
If I do escape, what would I do? Would I hide here? Would I hide there?
Okay, so you knowing you the best, how do you answer those what ifs?
Okay we'll go back to the slave thing then keep on that topic
so in my head i would
picture myself planning my escape and finding
(15:32):
the best ways to escape okay but also being paranoid to be found and what would
happen if once i found so knowing now on the potential things of happening to
you if you were caught running away,
(15:53):
would you make that decision to run away or not?
That's a tough one because knowing what I know now, I'll be too scared,
but at the same time, it would be worth it in the end if I actually was able
to have a successful escape route. Okay.
Now you knowing you put yourself in that position with all that fear,
as well as knowing the end goal of being freedom,
(16:16):
would you basically risk your life to escape and be free?
Or would you just say, fuck it, I'm going to just live out whatever it is and
make it the best I can being a slave?
Don't think of the noble answer. Yeah, I know.
Because knowing myself, I will probably keep doing what I'm doing every day and hope for the best.
(16:44):
So you would keep doing, you would be a slave.
I would be a slave. And you would fantasize. But fantasize by escaping.
Of escaping. Yes. Okay. See, that's the process that we like to call thinking.
Yeah. But at the same time, my other issue is what if I was a different person?
(17:04):
Like I'm not the person I am today.
I'm a different person. Right. But that's the other thing keeps me up.
But the only thing you can draw from is what you do know and you do know who you are right now.
So putting yourself in that scenario as you are now is the only thing you can do.
You trying trying to think of you being as a different person is
(17:27):
a moot point because you as a different person will even have this conversation
with yourself but it's crazy to think too is no one knows how they're going
to react in those situations so i could be completely different from what i'm
thinking agree yeah agreed i i've said that before but you can only draw upon what you,
(17:47):
feel and think as the person you are here and now you trying to extrapolate
into these different ways of thinking and these different people that you're creating and.
Doesn't make sense and i think that's where a lot
of your confusion comes in because you want to know which is
great but you don't so stick to what you do
(18:09):
know and you can start creating these different dialogues
within yourself and finding out who you really are yes i get what you're saying
but it's not what i was originally thinking and i don't know how else to explain
it on like why it's a mind thinker for me like i get what you're saying but it's just like.
(18:31):
What if like what if i was born in that time era not this time era what if i
was growing up thinking different ways of doing things and i do now it's just
just the what ifs it makes sense,
i mean it's what keeps you up at night it doesn't have to be no no no
no no yeah i'm just trying to to get you to to
to move forward on that thought yeah
(18:54):
no but it's even if you try it
still it's still gonna be like but but here's the thing we
out of that explanation we got
a new t-shirt idea oh lordy it was
mind thinker did i
say that i don't remember if i said it no it
was great i loved it so mind thinker all right
(19:15):
all right so i
so mine i again i'm gonna go off
of last week so i didn't add anything
to the quotes but i have three more is
it three more is it four more i can count
to seven you know one three
eight so seven so anyway i
(19:37):
have a couple of quotes that kind of keep me up at
night we'll continue on with my saga so here's one all right and it's it's frustrating
that no one has the patience to deal with someone who is just sad.
(19:59):
Mm-hmm. That's true. You know. Sad but true.
Probably the easiest thing, in my opinion, to help someone and just sit with
and talk to is just being sad.
And there's different, you know, sometimes you're just sad to be sad.
I mean, last week we touched a lot on mental health and it's okay,
(20:23):
but like people just can't deal with someone who's just sad.
It makes people so uncomfortable.
Yeah. Mm-hmm. And I wonder why. Do you think, why?
I've never like explored why people are so uncomfortable with it.
But the fact that we ignore it and people are so uncomfortable with it prevents
people from talking about it, displaying it, working through it,
(20:47):
healing through it. Mm-hmm.
And it just perpetuates the cycle. Yeah. Yeah, it's crazy. Yeah.
Yeah. Yeah, so that is one.
Another one that I think affects, just really talks to me personally.
Is if only my heart were as cold as I pretend it is, I could get over it.
(21:14):
What do you guys think of that?
Makes sense. Do you guys ever do that? No.
Why do you think that pertains to you the most? because I mean I hide myself
even from you guys yeah you put on like a facade and,
I like to call it a mask yeah maybe that's why I'm so ugly I just never take
this mask off so you're deflecting I do deflect I don't deflect so what does it mean I get over it.
(21:40):
Get over it didn't the last one say get over it get
over what specifically is there get over
your heart is not cold correct like hoping that you don't have to feel guilty
by saying no to something like this is like a little tiny example but like saying
no to somebody but feeling guilty and wishing that you had that cold heart to
get off like get over that guilty conscious and just Just be like, I don't care.
(22:05):
Okay, yeah. No, that exactly works. Yeah. Yeah, do you guys like that?
Do you guys want one more? I can give you one more.
Lay down. Yeah, all right. So this one also pertains, I feel so it pertains to me as well.
So, an exploration into my soul as much as it is into yours.
(22:27):
So here's the other quote.
Funny that you comfort others with the words you wish to.
To hear yeah right that's true
because you always give out good advice but you don't do you follow that advice
yourself no why would i do that no but it also goes back towards love languages
are you familiar with those yeah there's italian there's french spanish i think is another one no.
(22:55):
Latin no love languages in the sense that you give love in certain ways and
you receive love Love in certain ways, whether it's like acts of service,
words of affirmation. Blowjobs.
That would be an act of service.
I already said that. Sorry. Things of that, but you receive love in a certain way.
(23:17):
So when you try to console someone, you're coming from what you need and what your wound is.
And that might not be what the other person needs.
Are you saying that not everybody needs a blowjob? No, not everybody needs a blowjob. Wow.
I don't think eunuchs need a blue dub. That's controversial.
That might be a conspiracy theory.
(23:41):
Mr. Deflector. Oh, 100%. I'm good at it too. Very good at it.
So yeah, those are the things that keep us up at night. So that was fun.
So guys. We want to know what keeps our listeners up at night.
Let us know. You know what? I would love to do an episode.
So yeah, listeners, send in. We'll keep you guys up at night. We'll do an episode.
(24:04):
Go over your. And if you guys want to write a brief description as to why,
send us an email, frank at fringebeyondlimits.com or Brianna,
B-R-E-A-N-N-A at fringebeyondlimits.com or Lynette,
L-Y-N-E-T-T-E at fringebeyondlimits.com.
(24:29):
Let us know. Let us know. and uh we'll
do a whole episode and we'll feature you
guys so yeah that's a
great idea lynette thanks for bringing that up so today we're talking about
australia's war with the emus did you guys know australia had a war with emus
(24:55):
nope no i'm sitting here slow Hello, blinking you.
I know you are. And I'm loving it. See, I soak that in. Yeah.
Emu, emu, emu, f you. F this.
So, Australia had a war with the emus.
Like officially declared war. A war with the emus and lost.
(25:20):
Interesting, okay. No, let that soak in for a minute. I'm kind of curious on how the story goes.
So I'm also worried what sort of down under lands we're going to adventure on. Yeah.
Australia went to war with emus in 1932.
(25:44):
Was it 1932? Yeah. 1932.
It's a tale of agricultural distress, military intervention,
and believe it or not, a large A large flock of flightless birds outsmarting the army.
The fact that it's an army.
(26:04):
So, here's some background. After World War I, Australia embarked on an ambitious
agricultural expansion program.
The government was eager to repurpose vast tracts of land in Western Australia,
converting them into productive wheat farms.
This initiative was part of a larger effort. Weed farms? Wheat farms.
(26:26):
I heard weed. I heard weed.
You just put a T at the end there.
Without meaning to, I heard weed. Yeah, okay. Wheat farms.
This initiative was part of a larger effort to rehabilitate returning soldiers
by providing them with land and the means to establish new livelihoods.
(26:47):
These soldier settlers were given plots under the Soldier Settlement Scheme,
aiming to boost the nation's agricultural
output and support veterans transitioning back to civilian life.
But the 1930s were a tough time. The Great Depression hit hard and Australia wasn't spared.
(27:09):
Wheat prices plummeted. Farmers were encouraged to produce more despite the falling prices.
What's going on? Something's vibrating.
Rating that's my phone
okay i was like it's making my headset yeah i don't
know what's shaking yeah sorry so wheat
(27:30):
prices plummeted farmers were encouraged to produce more despite the falling
prices and many faced financial ruin adding to their woes was the harsh climate
and geography of western australia it took significant effort to make the land
arable and clearing native
vegetation disrupted local ecosystems,
(27:51):
leading to unintended consequences like soil erosion and the displacement of wildlife.
So, so far, we got some issues, right? Mm-hmm. Yeah. So, the emu problem.
Enter the emus. These large flightless birds native to Australia become unexpected adversaries.
By 1932, tens of thousands of emus migrating from the inland to coastal regions
(28:18):
for breeding descended upon the wheat fields of Western Australia.
This wasn't just a minor inconvenience. convenience. These birds caused significant
damage to crops, worsening the already dire economic situation.
Crop destruction. Emus trampled over the wheat fields, eating and destroying crops.
(28:40):
Vast swaths of farmland were decimated, leading to significant financial losses.
Fencing damage. Emus often broke through fences, searching for food and water,
allowing other pests and livestock to enter and cause further damage,
increasing repair costs and making it difficult to protect crops.
(29:02):
Competition with livestock. The emus also competed with livestock for water
and food resources, straining the farmers' efforts to maintain their herds,
as well as psychological impacts.
The relentless onslaught of
emus caused considerable stress and anxiety among the farming community.
(29:22):
Many farmers felt helpless against the seemingly unstoppable tide of birds exacerbating
broader economic and social hardships.
It kind of sounds like they're thinking of emus as like a pest.
So what are you guys' thoughts so far? Well, my first thought was very random,
was who would win in a fight, an ostrich or an emu?
(29:45):
Then I was like leaning towards an ostrich. A what? A cassowary.
What's a cassowary? like the i'm a super dinosaur version of an emu ostrich
oh with like the bone oh yeah yeah yeah lynette's thingy one yeah but still valid but they just,
(30:07):
okay so like okay no okay go ahead what's up i don't have words because i'm
completely like Like, vert de verk.
Yeah, vert de verk. Yeah, like the Swedish chef. Mm-hmm. Vert de verk.
Vert de verk. Like, I thought Aussies were...
All, like, crocodile leather.
(30:28):
Like, ain't scared of shit.
I'm not putting folks in a bucket, but, like, you live in one of the most dangerous
wildlife countries, continents on the planet. Yes.
So you've got to be pretty tough. You've got spiders the size of dinner plates.
Yes. You know, you've got everything under the sun that can kill you and eat you. Yes. Yeah.
(30:50):
But they're bothered by birds. E-boos.
I mean, they're big birds. they're big birds and they're flightless and they're yellow,
i don't know it's crazy yeah this is a crazy story so desperate farmers reported
the emu invasion to the government the response deploy the military i feel like this little uh,
(31:19):
kind of maybe they're just still like amped up after world
war one like roided up it's just like overdoing it a little bit it's over a
decade later instead of getting like a word too yeah yeah well i mean it's seven
years before that yes but we're still in australia maybe they were just looking
for something to do maybe the military like taxpayer money why didn't they call like a emu wrangler,
(31:43):
The Emu Whisperer? Yeah. Crocodile Dundee or something.
Steve Irwin. Just call Steve Irwin. I don't know if he was born yet, but yeah.
Yeah. No, no, no. I think the correct response is deploy the military. My goodness.
Major GPW Meredith of the
7th Heavy Battery of the Royal Australian
(32:06):
Artillery was tasked with
leading the operation equipped with soldiers and
two lewis machine guns i want to know what
this major may have thought get having that
like get thrown on his desk hey you're gonna be uh taking lead
on this operation you're in war with emus good luck
like what's your thought like if that was
(32:28):
you frank what was your what would your thought be i would
be so pissed that i got assigned signed birds that
would be me are you fucking kidding me like i
am major meredith well he
doesn't look like the brightest crayon in the box he's australian okay i mean
(32:48):
this is the penal colony we're talking about right yeah the penal colony the
penis all right so the first First offensive was November 2nd, 1932.
The attempt to combat the emus near Campion, Western Australia.
(33:08):
Major Meredith and his men set up to ambush at a dam where over a thousand emus
had been spotted. The plan was simple.
Corral the birds and mow them down with a machine gun. Oh my God.
A little overkill there.
No pun intended. No.
But as the emus approach the soldiers open fire and quickly realize their mistake
(33:35):
the birds scattered in all directions emus can run up to 50 kilometers an hour
what is it like 40 miles an hour sure,
and often zigzagged to evade predators. The initial encounter resulted in very
few emu casualties and highlighted the birds' resilience and elusiveness.
(33:57):
I wonder how many human casualties there were. They had to have shot each other too, right?
Right. I hope so. Especially if they scattered and they were going zigzagged.
You would think they would miss and hit their own.
This is what I picture. I picture teenagers house party. oh just like the mad
scatter yeah it's like cops go and she's.
(34:21):
Okay the second offensive
was two days later november 4th
1932 the soldiers moved to
a new location near a local farm where emus
were causing havoc those fucking teenagers just drinking and
just yep just next house this time
meredith set up his machine guns on a truck
(34:43):
to increase mobility and chase the emus i
can't stop laughing these poor
animals however the rough terrain made
it difficult to maintain steady aim and the
emus once again demonstrated their adaptness to
escaping danger in one notable
incident the truck got stuck in a rabbit hole how
(35:06):
big are these fucking rabbits i told you everything is dangerous
in australia rendering the mountain rabbit probably
it's like the same like it's big everything's bigger than texas i feel like
everything's bigger in australia oh god rendering the mountain machine gun useless
and allowing the emus to escape unscathed the soldiers managed to kill only
(35:27):
a small number of emus and the operation was again unsuccessful.
All right, so you're 0 for 2. That's what I'm saying. You're 0 for 2. This guy. I am?
Yes, you personally are 0 for 2. You looked at me and you're like,
you are 0 for 2. I was hoping to get some sort of reaction from you other than me.
Well, these poor animals. You're talking to a vegetarian over here and they
(35:51):
want to mow down animals with. No, you eat meat. Just not with feet.
So you're a pescatarian. Yeah. Okay. Okay. I'm still not catching fish with machine guns.
You're using hand grenades like our southern people,
yeah all right so throughout november okay so mind you november 2nd failed november
(36:18):
4th failed throughout november for the end the rest of the month right,
major meredith and his troops continued their
attempts they moved to areas with higher concentration
of emus hoping to improve their chances
despite these adjustments the emus continued to outmaneuver the soldiers in
(36:40):
another significant engagement soldiers ambushed over a thousand okay like how
do you ambush do you dress up like an emu.
I mean, that's one way to sneak up on him. You know, you tap on his shoulder.
Hey, buddy, what are your plans?
Or do you, like, maybe he's dressed up like a kangaroo, like an enemy?
(37:02):
Oh, God, I don't know. Just walking in, somebody coming here.
I feel as though somebody's watching me. Different song, but okay, keep going.
Soldiers ambushed over a thousand emus near a small town. As they began firing,
the emus divided into smaller groups and quickly dispersed. burst.
The machine guns designed for stationary targets were ineffective against the
(37:27):
swift scattering birds.
After days of pursuit, the military had only managed to kill about a thousand
emus, far short of the estimated population causing the agricultural damage.
I feel like the Australian military need to take tips from these emus.
They need something. I don't know know what that something is but they're being
(37:51):
out maneuvered by birds yeah i mean how could they not know that that would
be a thing so what went wrong everything several factors lots,
number one we're dealing with convicts right i mean convict the singer convict.
(38:16):
No. Emus could quickly outrun the soldiers and their vehicles,
making it nearly impossible to engage them effectively with machine gun fire.
The emus' natural evasive behaviors made the military's approach ineffective.
Their tendency to scatter into smaller groups upon encountering danger meant
significant casualties were hard to inflict.
(38:39):
The rugged terrain provided ample cover for the emus.
Soldiers struggled to maintain effective firing positions and often found their
lines of sight obstructed.
Machine guns in the field presented logistical challenges. The weapons were
heavy, required regular maintenance, and had limited mobility.
The soldiers' inability to quickly reposition the guns hindered their effectiveness.
(39:05):
They would have, speaking to you as a pescatarian, they would have had better
luck throwing a hand grenade.
Yeah, until they scattered. So I still think... Yeah, but you'd throw it,
roll it in there, whatever you got to do, and it's going to take them all out.
(39:26):
It's only a certain amount of distance from the grenade, so not all of them
will have it. So the ones around it will scatter. It's just water balloon.
Water balloon. Have you seen... So this is what I pictured. I pictured you need
Ace Ventura for this. Oh, gosh.
Did you see the second one, Ace Ventura and When Nature Calls?
Did you do that movie? That's the answer to my question. That's a no.
(39:46):
That question, yeah. I fucking hate you.
So he builds a mechanical rhinoceros.
Okay, this already sounds stupid.
So it feels like you need a mechanical emu filled with explosives and just kind
of just Trojan horse it. Just Trojan horse it, yeah. Okay.
(40:11):
Or just spread out landmines or something so when they come back to the farm,
just blow Blow up the farm.
Well, then you can't do that because then knowing them, they'd lose track of
which landmine blew up and which ones didn't. And what if it blows up other animals?
Take them all out. Take all the humans on emus out.
(40:32):
Then nobody will have a problem. Should we just drop the bomb on Australia as a whole then?
No. If they have a problem, they can figure it out and they can blow each other
up. If they have a problem, yo, I'll solve it.
Check out my kicks as my DJ revolves it. Ice, ice, baby.
Too much. Too much. Anyways. So perhaps the most fascinating was the emus' intelligence
and adaptive strategies.
(40:53):
Observations indicated that emus could communicate and coordinate their movements to some extent.
Emus often posted sentries to alert the group of any approaching danger,
allowing the flock to disperse before the soldiers could get within effective firing range.
Additionally, the emus demonstrated an ability to exploit weaknesses in the soldiers' tactics.
(41:19):
They frequently changed their routes to avoid known ambush locations and use
the terrain to their advantage.
In one engagement near a watering hole, emus approached cautiously and retreated
quickly at the first sound of gunfire, effectively avoiding mass casualties.
So the emus were smarter.
(41:42):
It wasn't just their...
Approach and the way that they would avoid danger as a
unlearned ability right as a as
a reaction they also outsmarted they
sound like a collective consciousness like other birds other birds demonstrate
this today like you know your starlings who fly in murmurations and everything
(42:04):
like that sure no no right but at the same time they were smarter than the humans
i yeah i think a lot of animals are smarter than us we just don't like to think
that we just think we're top of the No, I agree.
I agree, but this is amazing that the Australian government were outwitted by birds.
(42:25):
I am loving this story.
So, the government's decision to withdraw.
By the end of November 1932, it became clear the military intervention was a failure.
You think? think despite several weeks of
(42:45):
effort the emu population remained largely unaffected and crop damage continued
the soldiers having expanded significant resources i'm sorry expended significant
resources and facing public ridicule
had to acknowledge their inability to effectively deal with the emus.
On December 10th, 1932, the government officially called the military operation.
(43:10):
Major Meredith and his men were withdrawn and the Emu War was brought to an end.
The decision was based on the recognition that the Emus were too agile and intelligent
to be defeated by traditional military tactics.
Continued efforts would only result in further waste of resources and potential embarrassment.
The media coverage of the Emu War was widespread and often critical.
(43:35):
Newspapers newspapers mocked the
military's inability to defeat a flock of
birds and the operation became a source of
national embarrassment the failure highlighted the
absurdity of using military forces to address an
ecological problem and prompted discussions about more appropriate methods of
(43:56):
wildlife management seriously at least it was a short or two months a month
and a half yeah and again i can't reiterate this enough that the australian military.
Waved the white flag did the
emus sign like a peace treaty peace treaty yeah they took their or their whatever
(44:21):
their claw their claw into ink and then i don't know they seem smart enough
they might have actually written up the peace treaty and say back down motherfuckers,
How many claws does an emu have? Is it three?
Four. Three in the front, one in the back. Okay.
God, here we go again. Is that like four in the pink and the thumb in the stink? Yeah, sure.
(44:48):
Little Robert the Dolman. Do you think as the military retreated back,
they just held up their middle claw?
Maybe. Flipped everyone off?
I don't know if they have one in the back. It looks like just three in the front.
Oh, so if you liked it in the back, you're SOL?
Oh, that's one big middle finger. Yeah. Thank you for noticing.
(45:10):
So following the withdrawal of the military, the government and farmers turned
to alternative measures to address the emu problem.
Reintroduced to encourage farmers and local hunters to control the emu population,
financial incentives aimed to reduce emu numbers more effectively and sustainably.
Investments were made in robust and taller fences that could withstand the strength
(45:33):
and persistence of emus.
Electrified fences and better materials helped keep emus out of farmlands,
protecting crops and reducing the need for lethal measures.
Why was that not the first thing?
Somebody had Napoleon Complex, apparently. I mean... And they had a budget to blow.
I mean... This is... That's insane. Same.
(45:54):
Efforts included managing water sources and planting crops less appealing to
the birds, discouraging them from entering farmland.
Further research into emu behavior and ecology helped develop more effective
management strategies, understanding the birds' migration patterns,
breeding habits, and dietary needs allowed for more targeted and humane control methods.
(46:19):
This, what were you going to say? No, I was just going to say,
well, Well, if you think back to that time, like the male ego,
the tough guy, like that was the culture.
Like, so they're like modern ecology and animal welfare wasn't a thing.
It was how much can I dominate control and take over and show my toughness. That was 90 years ago.
(46:46):
Yeah. I think it's still the same thing.
I think you know i mean
look at today it's like oh fucking nerds you
know we'll just go fucking shoot them you know
we're all gonna get guns you know i mean listen i'm not against guns my dad
was an officer and he was a hunter and that's great i have no issues with people
(47:08):
doing any of that it's the mentality behind it that i have the issue with you
know so we're still like I like that today, you know?
Yeah, but we have people who equally care about other things to somewhat balance it. Yeah, 100%, we do.
But it's still just baffling. I think the same thing would happen today, you know?
(47:31):
Not if pita had a say in it. You know, pita drives me crazy.
Like pita falafels and- Like, I love a good pita. Gyros and stuff. Ooh, gyro.
Those gyros are so good. Gyros. You made fun of my husband for wanting to get a gyro last night.
Yeah. We went to a very nice Greek restaurant and I'm like, you know, I, I got the.
(47:55):
Greek big chicken. The Greek chicken, you know, and the Greek potatoes.
And he goes, oh, I think I'm going to do the gyro platter.
I'm like, no, you don't get a gyro. You get something more authentic. It's a platter.
And there's three. There was a trio. so there was three different types of euros on it.
Yeah. If we were at lunch, that'd be great. We're at dinner.
(48:18):
That's not a dinner. What, halal food isn't allowed at dinner?
He's still got a pita sandwich, though. I know. He's still got a pita sandwich. Good for him. Right?
Yeah. I'm surprised he didn't get the hamburger. They had a hamburger on there. It was a lamb burger.
A lamb burger. There was a lamb and a hamburger. I saw the lamb burger.
Why do they call it ham when it's beef?
(48:38):
That's a good question, actually. That keeps me up at night, too. That's a new one.
I don't want to know. I would rather take a deep dive into the studying the
efforts that were put into this emu war than talking to you two right now.
Okay. So I'm going to get back to this.
So let's see. Where did I? I lost my spot. See? Yeah.
(49:01):
The emu war highlighted the complexity of wildlife management and the need for
more sustainable approaches. In subsequent years, Australian authorities explored
ecological solutions balancing wildlife and farming needs.
Emphasis on creating a balance between agricultural development and wildlife conservation.
(49:22):
Measures included restoring native vegetation in non-farming areas to provide
alternative habitats for emus.
Engaging local communities in wildlife management became key.
Education programs informed farmers about non-lethal methods of emu control
and the importance of ecological balance.
Government policies were reformed to support sustainable agricultural practices
(49:48):
and wildlife management, including funding for research, subsidies for protective
measures, and support for conservation initiatives.
So all this stuff was good that came out of it, I guess, out of their stupidity.
I'm going to get myself an emu flag and fly it in the front porch do it emus
(50:09):
forever make emus great again yeah make emus great again mega.
I love it.
Mega. Mega.
Good for them. I'm proud of those emus. Oh, me too. I mean, that's just great.
(50:29):
Nobody puts an emu in a box. Nobody puts emu in a corner. Corner, yeah.
The emu war has become part of Australian folklore, often referenced humorlessly
in discussions about military inefficacy and human-animal conflicts.
It serves as a reminder of the challenges in managing wildlife in agricultural
regions and the unforeseen consequences of straightforward solutions.
(50:55):
Depicted in various media forums, including documentaries, books,
and comedy sketches, the Emu Wars portrayal often highlights the absurdity of
the situation and the resilience of the emus.
Used in educational context to
teach lessons about environmental management military history and
human animal interaction provides a unique example of how to how not to approach
(51:17):
wildlife management the emu's victory was has turned them into a symbol of resilience
and adaptability reminding people of the importance of respecting and understanding the natural world.
The Emu War of 1932 serves as a unique case study in environmental history and
(51:37):
human-animal interaction.
It underscores the importance of understanding ecological dynamics and the potential
pitfalls of applying military tactics to environmental challenges.
While the conflict itself was a failure, it paved the way for more sustainable
and effective wildlife management approaches in Australia.
The lessons from the emu war have informed better practices in balancing agricultural
(52:02):
needs with wildlife conservation, highlighting the value of adaptive and ecological
informed strategies. Well.
Well. What are your guys' final thoughts on this?
Like, this is just fucking amazing.
This is the most amazing thing I've ever read in my life and doing research
(52:25):
on was the Emu War that Australia's military fumbled.
I'd love to know what the dollar amount was, what they spent on all that.
Yeah, that is interesting. I bet you that's all suppressed.
Yeah. I mean, let's be honest.
If I was the state and I lost a war to a bunch of fucking birds that can't fly
(52:52):
away. Remember, they're flightless birds.
They're just running around zigzagging.
I'm pretty sure I can get away from the Australian military by just zigzagging now. Wow.
Well. You know, that's also a way to get away from like crocodiles and alligators
(53:13):
because they can't run side to side.
They can only run in a straight line. So you zigzag. Yep.
Actually, when I went down to Florida, they said that when you run,
take a sharp turn and then go directly that way too because they can't.
Mm-hmm. Yeah. Yeah, I'm pretty sure I can fuck up an alligator.
(53:35):
I'd like to see you try. I will.
Oh, yeah. Yeah, what? Do you think I could fuck up? You're going to fuck up an alligator? Yeah.
Yeah, I don't know. Probably not. No? I think so.
What what wild animal do
you think what's the biggest wild animal you guys think you can beat in a fight
i don't want to hurt animals okay life or death scenario you're gonna fight
(54:00):
i'm not saying that you're gonna just like walk out and kick a bunny i might
if they keep eating my garden okay.
A raccoon that's the biggest hell's
gonna city same thing dude raccoons get huge
are you kidding me and they can be very evil they're small enough that i can
(54:22):
overpower it i think although if i kick it it'll probably like grab my leg and
climb on me like a tree and then i'm just done and then slice my throat poke
my eyes and then i'm dead what are you dealing with jack the ripper of Of raccoons? They're evil.
I mean, I don't think they're evil, but they got sharp little claws and little teeth.
(54:42):
I'm pretty sure. Possum, too. They'd probably choke me with their tail.
Life or death scenario, I could probably do some sort of...
Like a wild cat. No way, man. Those are pure muscle. How big of a wild cat are
you talking? Like somebody's house cat who turned feral?
(55:05):
Fifi got out of the house. A tomcat. You can take out a tomcat.
I wouldn't fuck with a tomcat either. No, I would probably say I can take out a coyote.
Well, they're a little more weenie-ish. Okay. Than a cat.
Well, like. I wouldn't fuck with a wild cat. Yeah. Yeah, like a puma or a cougar.
(55:27):
But there are smaller versions of that. Like a lynx? Yeah.
Or a bobcat? Yeah, a bobcat. I think I could take out a bobcat.
Hand-to-hand combat. I don't think so.
I think I could. I don't know. I think I could. I'm not saying I'm going to
take out a mountain lion. Like, no. That thing will fuck me up.
(55:52):
Bobcats have retractable claws i just want to know how long their claws are
retractable penis yeah well that's not going to win you any wars against bobcat
you don't know that you're going to be a bobcock i'm going to be a bobcock babcock
no i i think i think i could take out a bobcat,
no thanks yeah good luck aren't they like endangered don't take out a bobcat
(56:17):
yeah i I don't want to, you know, I'm just saying like I could take out a large dog.
I guess. Like a German shepherd. I would fuck a German shepherd up.
Not a wild German shepherd. Yeah.
I would fuck it up. No, that's like a wolf.
No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no. That's not a wolf.
A dog the size of a German shepherd that's wild is like a wolf.
(56:39):
No, a wolf is twice the size of a German shepherd. Depending on the kind of wolf.
There's different kinds of wolves. There's some wolves that are smaller.
Yeah, I understand that.
But a wolf is twice the size of a German Shepherd.
Sure. Have you ever seen a wolf? Wolf in the zoos? Yeah, I've seen them in the wild.
(56:59):
The wilds of Illinois? Of Minnesota, up in the Boundary Waters.
It says a wolf stands about 26 to 32 inches tall and weighs 80 to 180 and a
German Shepherd stands 22 to 24 inches tall. They're almost the same height.
Dang, she got you. Wolves are twice the size of a fucking German Shepherd.
(57:21):
I don't believe it. But I could fuck up a German Shepherd. Okay.
Well, let's stop talking about the animals that you would fuck up.
Let's talk about the animals that would fuck you up.
Oh, all of them. The rest of them. A goldfish. Yes.
I would try to eat it and I would choke and die. See, fuck you up.
Yeah, it worked. The last bubble laugh.
Yeah, funny is that the goldfish would turn me blue.
(57:43):
See? So, all right. Anything else we'd like to add to this?
We need to remind Washington Mutual that they should use this content in their commercial.
I want to see them reference the badass emu in their commercial.
Washington Mutual, if you're listening, please reference the emus that fucked
(58:05):
up the, I mean, I know it's not much, the Australian military.
Shows how adaptive they are. How badass they are. And agile they are.
Yeah. Or how stupid Australians are.
You know, I mean, listen, I joke. I kid. I don't mean anything bad to our Australian friends.
(58:25):
He only means bad things when he talks to us.
Yes yes that's it so all right well that's all i got today same got nothing
else what sound does an emu make what the fuck no it's not what an emu goes something like a.
(58:49):
I don't think so,
i think they sound more like a dinosaur or yeah so anywho like that yeah okay
all right well thank you for coming on this ride,
australians losing the war to the emus yeah again my name is frank my name is
(59:13):
brie and this has been fringe beyond.
Music.
Popular Podcasts
Stuff You Should Know
If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.
Dateline NBC
Current and classic episodes, featuring compelling true-crime mysteries, powerful documentaries and in-depth investigations. Follow now to get the latest episodes of Dateline NBC completely free, or subscribe to Dateline Premium for ad-free listening and exclusive bonus content: DatelinePremium.com
On Purpose with Jay Shetty
I’m Jay Shetty host of On Purpose the worlds #1 Mental Health podcast and I’m so grateful you found us. I started this podcast 5 years ago to invite you into conversations and workshops that are designed to help make you happier, healthier and more healed. I believe that when you (yes you) feel seen, heard and understood you’re able to deal with relationship struggles, work challenges and life’s ups and downs with more ease and grace. I interview experts, celebrities, thought leaders and athletes so that we can grow our mindset, build better habits and uncover a side of them we’ve never seen before. New episodes every Monday and Friday. Your support means the world to me and I don’t take it for granted — click the follow button and leave a review to help us spread the love with On Purpose. I can’t wait for you to listen to your first or 500th episode!