War is hell for animals too

Anzac Day has in recent years become a politicized celebration of our patriotism; our coming of age and identity through the debacle of the battle in Gallipoli.

Increasingly, as the original old diggers have died out, Australia's new wars of Vietnam, Afghanistan and Iraq, have been invoked to celebrate this day.

In my school years, Anzac Day on April 25^th and Remembrance Day on November 11^th were low key affairs compared to the fanfare ceremony and pilgrimages that now seem part of newly created 'traditions'. The most oft repeated story told was that of Simpson and his faithful donkey, who rescued and supported many injured soldiers at Gallipoli.

I do not recall that we considered the experience or fate of the donkey. However dogs cats camels horses and pigeons have been used in military campaigns before the two world wars and beyond.

The banality of evil and absurdity of war, reaches its zenith if we contemplate the fate of animals conscripted to serve us in war. Their fate mirrors the terrible suffering that war has brought to millions of men women and children. It is made more poignant however, by non human animals utter lack of any complicity or any assignment of their will. They are even less self directed actors than humans, in the theatre of war and rarely present in any victory parade.

This is documented by Barry Stone in 'he Diggers Menagerie:.Mates Mascots and Marvels -True Stories of Animals Who Went to War.

The death toll is unknown but it is believed that in excess of 7 million horses died in the so called Great War.

The 'survivors ' did not usually get a hero's welcome. One report suggests that Australia sent 121,000 horsesto contribute to the first world war World War and only one returned.

Carrier Pigeons ,were shot at by the enemy, to stop them delivering vital messages.

In what may seem an extraordinarily bizarre form of anthropomorphism, [the attribution of human 'sensibilities' to non human creatures], animals at war received awards for service and bravery. In death, as indeed in life ,they would be oblivious to this honour. Unlike the case of humans their descendants and loved ones would not be appreciative of these distinctions either.

In his book, Stone recounts the story of Cher Ami the carrierpigeon ,who injured and shot, continued on, [bravely]as homing pigeons will, to deliver his message. Having survived terrible injuries that included being shot in the eye, the chest and flight with one leg hanging, France awarded the pigeon, the Croix de Guerre with oak leaf clusters.

The stories of animals in war are touching, but they reflect the greatest delusion of war. That the narratives of honour endurance attachment and bonding, somehow balance the complete squalid reality of its carnage, stupidity and terror, for man woman child and animal.

But what is most poignant is the use of war mascots. When people dream of lost or vulnerable kittens, it can often symbolize their own tenderness and softness, which they may be disregarding in order to function pragmatically in the world. The kitten may be a vision of their need to be nurtured, or neglect of this. The war mascots were indisputably objects of love care and loyalty in a world gone mad.

Men who were themselves young and barely grown up, were confronted with impossible choices of kill or be killed. The animal mascot was one place where 'normal' care and love could reside and be expressed.

In an age where we increasingly understand the capacity of animals to experience emotion, pain and distress, we must confront the issue of animal rights in war. It is clear that in the service of mutual survival needs animals have been cared for in combat zones. But as is common we have assumed that they are there to serve us, as always, in what may be argued as our most bizarre uncivilized endeavour of all: modern war.

The increasing use of advanced technology, has massively reduced the use of animals in warfare. However dogs are still used in explosive detection in Afghanistan.

Seen as cute lifesavers, their use nevertheless raises an uncomfortable question. Do these animals, often saved from death in the pound, have any rights regarding being sent to a dangerous war zone? Just as occurs to many human combatants, dogs can be afflicted with post traumatic stress disorder, and exhibit similar symptoms.

These can include hyper vigilance, aggression, timidity and inability to perform former roles. Live animals are still being used in medical training of Medicos in the US Defence Forces. The Pentagon maintains that despite plans to phase them out goats and other animals are being used in cruel and painful procedures designed to equip medicos to deal with defence force injuries in the field. This is despite recommendations by experts that simulators were far more effective in medical training.

Animals have shown us the way in many situations. They have been used ruthlessly in medical experiments to save our lives and in unnecessary testing of products. Studies of animal bonding have contributed to our understanding of loss and mourning in humans .

We know animals become attached and therefore grieve.

Animals however have few rights. There has been a lot of hyperbole around the lessons of war, its terrible cost and the suffering of innocents, On the one day of the year, Anzac Day, when we remember the human suffering of war, that so called glorious war is hell, we might remember how unequivocally this is conveyed in the suffering of non human animals in war.