WAR ANIMALS
Added on: 8th Oct 2015
HAWK
Communication via messenger pigeons became so popular and well-known
that the Germans decided to counter-strike. Shooting the pigeons was not
effective enough, therefore Germans often took hawks to the front line.
Consequently, pigeons that managed to avoid the bullets often
fell victims to these birds of prey.
DOLPHINS
Dolphins rank among the most intelligent and teachable animals in the
world and their unique abilities have been used in warfare as well.
So called military dolphins can be trained for various purposes such as
saving lost naval swimmers and detecting underwater mines. There is even
speculations about the existence of dolphins trained to kill humans.
SEA LION
Similarly to dolphins, the sea lions are also unusually intelligent and
can be trained to perform various tasks. The United States Navy has
used the California sea lion, a coastal eared seal native to western
North America to retrieve lost equipment and identify intruders
swimming intro restricted areas.
CAT
Cats have played more important roles in warfare than most people would
think. 2,500 years ago, Persians knew the Ancient Egyptians considered
cats sacred animals so they purposely took them to the battlefields to
prevent the Egyptian soldiers from attacking. In World War I, cats served
as poison gas detectors and in World War II, they were
occasionally used to carry messages.
CROCODILE
Crocodiles have never been used as an intentional war weapon
(and hopefully, never will) but in a way, they did participate in World War II.
In the Battle of Ramree Island (January – February 1945) in Burma,
Japanese soldiers entered local swamps where thousands of hungry
crocodiles were waiting. Hundreds of soldiers were eaten alive in an event
that is considered the worst crocodile disaster in the world.
RHINO
There’re some speculations that the rhinoceros, the second largest
land animal, has also been used in war. A 1515 woodcut depicting an
armoured rhino suggests these giant mammals could have served
as war weapons but their aggressive behaviour and disobedient nature
would make them extremely difficult to tame.
PIG
It’s hard to imagine pigs being any good in a battlefield, but rest assured,
they were there. In ancient warfare, armoured elephants were often
used as formidable weapons, however the Romans learned that the
elephants were scared of a pig´s squeal. Historical accounts state that
pigs were sometimes set alight (to maximize the squealing) and driven
towards the enemy’s elephants who – in sheer terror – panicked
and trampled their own masters.
BAT
Bats became part of an unusual animal experiment in World War II.
The American Army intended to use Mexican free-tailed bats to carry
small timed incendiary bombs. They were supposed to take the bombs
into Japanese houses and set them on fire. The Army used about
6,000 of these little nocturnal mammals but the project proved to be
unsuccessful and was soon abandoned.
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