Should Animals Be Used In Warfare - Term Paper Example

Should Animals Be Used In Warfare? Should Animals Be Used In Warfare? Introduction and Background Animals have been used in warfare or for military purposes since the medieval times. Hannibal’s campaign in 3 BC used elephants for war purposes. Since that period, governments and soldiers have used animals such as dogs, horses, pigeons, dolphins and even chicken in war campaigns. Horses are often used for transportation purposes during times of war; transporting soldiers to the battle field, hauling weaponry to and from the battle field, or transporting injured soldiers from the battle field (Kistler, 2011). Pigeons, on the other hand, were used to send messages during periods of war. However, the dog is the most used animal in modern warfare. Due to their well-developed sensory mechanisms, dogs are trained to sniff for bombs or track the enemy/ warn soldiers when an enemy is nearby. During World War 1, approximately 16 million animals were used during the war. A large percentage of these animals died during the war. Today, the United States government has trained nearly 75 dolphins for war purposes, and they have been deployed to Iraq. The United States government refers to these dolphins as ‘advanced biological weapons systems’. In Iraq, they were or are used to sniff for mines and hence keep the shipping lanes free from mines. Although it’s an old practice, the use of animals in war always elicits a heated debate when it brought up. While animal rights activists argue that animals should not be used for war, soldiers support the use of animals for war. As such, I will provide an alternate critical analysis as to why animals should be used in warfare. Perspective 1: A Soldier’s Perspective Animas used in war fare are trained specifically for different purposes. These animals have been sent to the war front to help the soldiers. Auel (1996) argued that animals used in warfare save lives of the soldiers. The coast guard, the Marine Corps and the US army has about 20 000 dogs in its service. These dogs are deployed to different and various war zones to support American troops. Other governments have dogs trained for military purposes. The dogs in war fare are used to carry messages, rescue downed pilots or guard military posts. Additionally, the dogs help the soldiers to maneuver through enemy territory, expose or sniff out enemy soldiers who might ambush the soldiers and sniff out bombs. In light of this, the dogs save the lives of the military personnel. The dog has become a vital part of any military in the world. Due to their excellent hearing skills, the dogs can warn soldiers when they smell an enemy approaching. Today, improvised explosives (IEDs) are the most dangerous weapons used in the battle fields. Thousands of troops and personnel suffer injuries as a result of IEDs. To counter this phenomenon, governments such as the Australian government have trained their dogs to help sniff out the IEDs. After sniffing them out, the army detonates them safely. Thus, dogs have saved hundreds or thousands of soldiers from being injured or killed by IEDs. The Australian government in response to the IEDs menace in Afghanistan has sent sniffer dogs to help the troops to find out the explosives and detonate them safely. The military has recognized some exploits of these animals and has subsequently awarded them with military medals for their exemplary service. Further, animals such as dolphins are used to look for mines planted along the shipping lanes to destroy ships (Service animals, n.d). By doing so, the animals protect the navies from sea explosives, hence, saving lives of the troops. Additionally, the enemy forces can use chemical weapons such as gas to attack. Chemical weapons mostly lead to a lot of causalities when deployed over an area. To counter this problem, pigeons are used to detect chemical gases in the air and thus give an early warning to the troops. Due to their sensitive respiratory systems, pigeons die faster or earlier than humans hence warning them. Sea lions have been previously used for recovery purposes. In modern warfare, they have been used to track and kill frogmen. Frogmen are skilled military men trained to swim underwater and attack troops or plant sea mines. These dolphins have thus been sent to the war front for example, during the Gulf war to patrol the oceans. Auel (1996) argued that Animals are used as mascots during times of war to give the soldiers morale. Many military units in the modern world have adopted animals as their mascots. The animals are often regarded as bearers of good luck in the battle field. The animals are regarded as pets by the soldiers. During times of war, the animals become companions of the troops, giving them morale and courage (Auel, 1996). Also, the animals such as dogs comfort the soldiers when they feel lonely during war. They thus act as a family to the soldiers or troops. War fields are mostly brutal places for the soldiers. As a result, troops sometimes need comfort. This can only be found the animals they are with them. Animals are used for combat medic training (Martinic, 2012). The use of IEDs has led to a change in the types of injuries sustained by soldiers in the battle field. In the modern battle field, soldiers are more likely to die from massive hemorrhage as a result of IEDs than bullets. The IEDs are specifically made to cause grievous injuries and damage to the toso and the limbs. Also, it is vital to note that death from massive hemorrhage is a preventable phenomenon. To learn more about the injuries, medical soldiers use animals and inflict them with similar injuries so as to understand how they can treat injuries sustained from IEDs. These animals are anaesthetized to reduce their suffering while the procedures are done. Once the procedures are completed, the animals are humanely euthanized. The process of inflicting wounds on animals and then learning from them is referred to as live tissue trauma training (LTTT) by the US military. Since the techniques cannot be used on human beings or simulated, the use of animals becomes necessary. Since the commencement of the program, the United States military has come up with practices and techniques or surgical skills needed to treat soldiers or people suffering from traumatic injuries or those experiencing massive hemorrhage. The wounds inflicted on animals are those likely to be seen in the battlefield. They give medical personnel an insight of how to treat or handle injured soldiers in the battle field. Normally, there are no medical facilities such as hospitals in the war fields. Therefore, military medical personnel have to learn how to handle injured soldiers. The first few hours after injury are very vital in saving the lives troops. This makes realistic programs such as the LTTT to be necessary (Martinic, 2012). This program has led to thousands of soldiers being saved after experiencing critical or traumatic injuries (Martinic, 2012). Therefore, the use of animals for the LTTT program is a necessary and justified action because human lives are more vital than animal lives. Hanson (a retired member of the US Special Ops) argued that if live animals would be banned from being used in the LTTT program, a lot of us soldiers will die as a result. This shows how the use of animals in war fare is significant for the US army (Martinic, 2012). Perspective 2: Animal Rights Activists Although military personnel defend their position that animals in warfare help save human lives, animal rights activist insist that the practice should be stopped. Curry (2003) states that animals used in warfare are inhumanly treated or abused. The dolphins used by the American military are controlled via a method of food deprivation. The military researchers understand that it is difficult to control and manage a well fed or full dolphin. Thus, they are kept hungry. This forces them to return to base and not disappear into the deep seas. Their snouts or mouths are closed /shut by an anti-foraging device which is tied around their mouths. This prevents them from eating food in the seas. Additionally the use of dolphins is a dangerous practice since the enemy troops are unable to figure out or identify those used by the military and those which are not used. Thus, they kill all dolphins they find. This action greatly contributes to the declining dolphin population. The enemy can wipe out an entire dolphin habitat if they suspect that they are being used for war. The use of animals for war fare is contained in the national security exclusions. This gives the military the power to use the animals in any way they like. During the gulf war, thousands of dogs were sent to the war front to support the troops. These dogs were normally given military training. After the war, the soldiers abandoned the dogs in the battle fields because some became afraid of returning home with dogs having military and war experience. These dogs were left behind and forced to fend for themselves. Most of these dogs die due to starvation when they are left behind, or are killed. This implies that dogs are viewed as commodities by the United States army. Although Bill Clinton in 2000 allowed soldiers to adopt their dogs, most are still left behind (Stewart, 2015). Curry (2003) implies that modern weaponry or systems have been developed that are more efficient than animals. For example, militaries around the world have developed sensors which can detect chemical gases from as far as 3 miles away. This makes the use of birds inefficient. Therefore, the use of animals cannot be justified since there are better and more efficient alternatives. Systems which detect bombs have been developed and deployed into war zones such as Iraq and Afghanistan. These systems help the soldiers to sweep areas and clear them off landmines or IEDs. Nevertheless, the army continues to use dogs to conduct these exercises. A lot of dogs are grievously injured in the process and due to lack of veterinary care in the battle fields, they are left to die. These deaths or cruelty towards animals can be avoided if the troops decided to use the alternative methods. The LTTT program provides animals with no relief even in times when there is no war. The animals are subjected to battle like conditions where they are even shot at, or inflicted with biological ad chemical injuries. This is an inhumane practice. The U.S. Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine (PCRM) is among the many groups advocating against the use of animals for warfare. The group seeks to oppose the LTTT program and the combat trauma management program, hence, stop the military from using live animals for military experiments. During the combat trauma management session, soldiers use methods such as stabbing the animals, burning or amputating them so as to replicate real life events. Conclusion The use of animals for warfare is normally a contentious issue. Proponents of the debate argue that the use of animals for warfare helps to save human lives. They state that human lives are more important than animal lives. Hanson in his defense for the use of animals used the cliché ‘save people, not pets’ to show the significance of animals in warfare. Due to their well-developed sensory and respiratory systems, animals perform various functions. Some of the common roles or duties performed by animals include the detection of bombs or landmines, and sniffing out the enemy. On the contrary, opponents of the debate cite the concept of animal cruelty as the main reason why they oppose the move. Since there are no laws that protect animals used for war, they are often mistreated. For instance, the American army starves dolphins by tying their mouths. This prevents them from eating food or other fishes. Also, dogs are left behind by troops or killed after a war ends because they pose a danger to civilians. In conclusion, animals should be used for warfare because they help save the lives of soldiers and people. When compared to animal lives, human lives are more precious. Furthermore, animals such as dogs have been used for rescue missions to locate lost soldiers or pilots. References Auel, L. B. (1996). Buddies+ProloguePortfolio: Soldiers and animals in World-War-II. PROLOGUE-QUARTERLY OF THE NATIONAL ARCHIVES, 28(3), 232-238. Curry, A. (2003). Animals: The Hidden Victims of War. Animal Aid The Old Chapel, Bradford Street, Tonbridge, Kent TN9 1AW. Kistler, J. M. (2011). Animals in the Military: From Hannibals Elephants to the Dolphins of the US Navy: From Hannibals Elephants to the Dolphins of the US Navy. ABC-CLIO. Martinic, G. (2012). Military live tissue trauma training. Using animals in the US-its purpose, importance and commentary on military medical research and the debate on use of animals in military training. Service animals. (n.d). Military service. Retrieved from http://www.libraryindex.com/pages/2203/Service-Animals-MILITARY-SERVICE.html Stewart, R. (2015). The Animals Of Modern Warfare (Op-Ed) Read More