Animals In War
Julia Foster
Mr. Kinney
American Culture Honors
14 March 2014
Animal Soldiers
“Do you give [a] horse its strength or clothe its neck with a flowing mane? Do you make him leap like a locust, striking terror with his proud snorting? He pauses fiercely, rejoicing in his strength and charges into the fray. He laughs at fear, afraid of nothing, he does not shy away from the sword. The quiver rattles against his side, along with the flashing spear and lance. In frenzied excitement he eats up the ground. He cannot stand still when the trumpet sounds” (Chenery 1).
Over many years the role of animals has gone unnoticed. Throughout the stories of war we have learned of the miraculous things soldiers have done, but nothing was mentioned about the animals that helped or risked their lives for soldiers. Animals have played a significant, but often unappreciated, role in the history of warfare. They offered endless hours of service day after day to dying, trapped, and helpless soldiers. They also improved war tactics, troop morale, and surprised enemies with their willingness to fight. Animals were often used in one of two ways; a military weapon or service device.
Large animals, like dogs, horses, and camels were mainly used to carry passengers, supplies, and wounded victims. Camels were used more often than horses even though horses appeared more in movies, photos, and paintings. Camels had the ability to adapt to the tough terrain and transport vital supply lines, making them a better choice than horses. Camels also proved to be stronger, have more endurance, a high tolerance for heat, and the ability to limit their need of water. Their feet were well suited for the grassy, sandy, and rocky terrain when there were no roads and they could carry more than 800 pounds of supplies, and travel up to forty miles a day. There were two main types of camels used in war, the Bactrian and the Arabian camels. The Bactrian camels of the Middle East were two humped and best at
Mr. Kinney
American Culture Honors
14 March 2014
Animal Soldiers
“Do you give [a] horse its strength or clothe its neck with a flowing mane? Do you make him leap like a locust, striking terror with his proud snorting? He pauses fiercely, rejoicing in his strength and charges into the fray. He laughs at fear, afraid of nothing, he does not shy away from the sword. The quiver rattles against his side, along with the flashing spear and lance. In frenzied excitement he eats up the ground. He cannot stand still when the trumpet sounds” (Chenery 1).
Over many years the role of animals has gone unnoticed. Throughout the stories of war we have learned of the miraculous things soldiers have done, but nothing was mentioned about the animals that helped or risked their lives for soldiers. Animals have played a significant, but often unappreciated, role in the history of warfare. They offered endless hours of service day after day to dying, trapped, and helpless soldiers. They also improved war tactics, troop morale, and surprised enemies with their willingness to fight. Animals were often used in one of two ways; a military weapon or service device.
Large animals, like dogs, horses, and camels were mainly used to carry passengers, supplies, and wounded victims. Camels were used more often than horses even though horses appeared more in movies, photos, and paintings. Camels had the ability to adapt to the tough terrain and transport vital supply lines, making them a better choice than horses. Camels also proved to be stronger, have more endurance, a high tolerance for heat, and the ability to limit their need of water. Their feet were well suited for the grassy, sandy, and rocky terrain when there were no roads and they could carry more than 800 pounds of supplies, and travel up to forty miles a day. There were two main types of camels used in war, the Bactrian and the Arabian camels. The Bactrian camels of the Middle East were two humped and best at