WAR ANIMALS

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.