For thousands of years, wild and domesticated animals have been used for war to enhance their military's strength and capabilities. Using animals such as horses, elephants, dogs, and even pigs may have greatly helped military forces, but in extremely inhumane ways, often causing thousands of non-human causalities. Elephants have been used as weapons for thousands of years, especially between 400 B.C. and A.D. 700 where their usage ranged from Great Britain to the subcontinent of India, a distance of over 4,500 miles. War elephants have been used in over forty battles and one of the most notable uses of war elephants was Hannibal's army of about 40 elephants which he crossed the Alps with to invade Rome around 218 B.C. The frigid mountains …show more content…
War pigs were used as a countermeasure against elephants. Pliny the Elder in Natural History had said "elephants are scared by the smallest squeal of the hog" and the Romans were the first reported to have used pigs against war elephants of Pyrrhus in 275 B.C. Their strategy was to use incendiary pigs to scare elephants and cause them to panic, killing its own soldiers as it tried to escape. Pigs would be covered in tar, resin, or some other flammable substance and set on fire to be sent off running frantically into the battlefield. The pigs would die on the battlefield from the excruciating pain of the fire, being trampled by elephants, or killed by enemy soldiers. To prevent elephants from entering past stone walls which would protect cities and fortresses, pigs would be hung along the wall and left to die and squeal in pain. This cruel use of animals was employed in many battles and caused the death of thousands of pigs in a gruesome …show more content…
Their lives have been intentionally and carelessly lost in many grisly ways including being engulfed in flames. Not only is this terrible for animals that do not survive and die in such horrible ways, but many animals who survive can suffer from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder in a similar or identical way to humans. This emotional impact on an animal's life as well as the physical impact makes the use of animals as instruments of war inhumane and
The horse makes a terrible noise of anguish and is in terrible pain and it has been shot as the author describes here. " The belly of one of the horses has been ripped open and its guts are trailing out." This shows that there are not just human casualties of war; the innocent lives of animals can be affected as much as humans who fight in wars. Deterring-one soldier in Pauls group-says. " It is the most despicable thing of all to drag animals into a war.
...tempt to diffuse violence. To even state that mans use of animals is immoral, and to claim that we have no right over our lives and must sacrifice our welfare for the sake of beings that cannot even think or grasp the concept of morality is ridicules. We would be elevating amoral animals to a moral level that is higher than our own, thus granting animals rights is not only fictional but wrong. In the words of Mat Block “Cows or cats would eat us to if they had a chance. Do not mistake a cats respect for one that is dominate for love, they are killers plain and simple and if you do not believe me ask their friends the birds”
In Water for Elephants, the story is told through Jacob Jankowski at two different parts in his life: twenty-three year old Jacob who is out there exploring the world and, ninety-three year old Jacob who feels like he is wasting away his life in a nursing home. Water for Elephants is Gruen’s third book, it became one of the New York Times best sellers, it’s also available in forty-four different languages and it’s now a motion picture (Sara Gruen). Throughout the novel the reader is brought through both Jacob’s happy memories and ones that he wishes he could forget which shows its impact on the reader, a sense of catharsis and its social significance.
Hunting accidents often injure or kill horses, cows, dogs, cats, hikers, and other hunters.Some hunters mistreat dogs just as the animals they hunt. Dogs who are used for hunting also suffer. They’re often kept chained or penned and denied routine veterinary care such as vaccines and heartworm medication. Some are lost during hunts and never found, and others who are turned loose at the end of hunting season to fend for themselves often die of starvation or get struck by vehicles. Also like other forms of thrilled violence, hunting leads to desensitization(make less sensitive) to the suffering and pain of others. “ A study conducted by Northeastern University and the Massachusetts SPCA found that people who abuse animals are five times more likely to commit violent crimes against humans. The majority of inmates who are scheduled to be executed for murder at California’s San Quentin State Prison “practiced” their crimes on animals, according to the warden.” So my opinion on hunting is that it’s bad but not everyone thinks like me and or care about animals the way that I
A police officer in the British Raj, the supposedly 'unbreakable'; ruling force, was afraid. With his gun aimed at a elephant's head, he was faced with the decision to pull the trigger. That officer was George Orwell, and he writes about his experience in his short story, 'Shooting an Elephant';. To save face, he shrugged it off as his desire to 'avoid looking the fool'; (George Orwell, 283). In truth, the atmosphere of fear and pressure overwhelmed him. His inner struggle over the guilt of being involved in the subjugation of a people added to this strain, and he made a decision he would later regret enough to write this story.
As written by Michael B. Charles and Peter Rhodan, elephants were meant to strike terror into the hearts of their opponents, especially their cavalry, who had never seen such a creature. This tactic had been successful during the Pyrrhic Wars when the Romans faced elephants for the first time. The Romans thought they had been winning at the battle of Heraclea in 280 BCE, but then Pyrrhus released his elephants and the Romans were overcome with fear at the hideous sight, sound and smell of them. Indeed, it would have been terrifying, but only at first. This approach was only successful the first few times it was used, then the Romans became more prepared to fight them off. By the time Hannibal showed up with his unit of war elephants, it took less time for the Romans to prepare for this sort of attack. Hannibal's over-reliance on these animals and their use in previous battles against Roman forces most definitely acted against Hannibal when it came to his invasion of Italy. In addition to this, Hannibal lost most of his Elephants crossing the Alps and the Apennines. The conditions were so poor that the beasts would just die or
Throughout history, there has always been wars. Whether it was about pride, money, or territories, they all have one thing in common. All the soldiers in these wars have taken on characteristics of animals. "Only by doing so can a soldier survive. This is true in any war situation."1 They become vicious, braver, protective, develop better senses, and after the war, they do not want to remember what happened in the battle field.
African Elephants are considered herbivores, they are both browsers and grazers; they will eat rough sticks, stems and leaves of plants as well as grasses, sedges, and fruit.
“There can be many reason for animal cruelty, like any other form of violence, is often committed by a person who feels powerless, unnoticed, or under control of others. Some who are cruel to animals copy acts what they have seen or that have been done to them, others see harming an animal as a safe way to get revenge against--or threaten-- someone who cares about that animal”. (“Animal… Statistics”) Concerns towards abusing animals have gone up in the past. Although there are not many cases on animal abuse, many have occurred. Abusers are charged with Criminal Animal Abuse and then sentenced to life in prison. Some animals that are physically abused are sometimes rescued by Animal Control, and are taken it to an animal shelter. However, many shelters have not had the space to keep the animals so the workers would have to put them down (Carol Roach). Researchers have shown that the main animals getting abused are dogs, chickens, horses, and livestock (“Animal...
The use of canines trace back to the time of the Romans, which used canines for security and hunting. It was common for the Romans and the Spanish conquistadors to use dogs during war time (Losowsky, 2013). In recent war time, the British, German and American military forces have proved that canine/soldier teams are beneficial. In
The ugly truth is that animals are dying at the hands of their owners everyday, some in very violent ways that can be avoided given the right solution. Slaughterhouses, puppy mills, dog fighting, and so on, are just a few examples of how animals are being treated badly by people. Animal cruelty is a form of violence which, unfortunately, sometimes goes hand in hand with child abuse.... ... middle of paper ... ... Also, violence towards animals needs to be included in assessments for child protective services, in order to better prevent animals being placed in dangerous hands.
Every year, over 100 million animals are killed for experimentation, biology lessons, medical/military training, and cosmetic, drug, and chemical testing. Animals are tortured all over the world and still lack lawful protection.
The abuse that animals endure at human hands is heartbreaking, sickening, and infuriating. Animals are just as delicate as humans, so why not abuse us too? Animal lives should be just important as ours. No animals should be killed or abused for testing, entertaining, clothing, or hoarding. Every year, millions of animals are being killed and torture for testing.
What do you think about when you hear the word Africa? How about the word safari? Most people tend to think about elephants or giraffes. In this paper I will tell you many important facts about elephants: how they live, their appearance, and many other interesting facts about them. There are two different kinds of elephants; the African elephant and the Asian elephant (also known as the Indian elephant). The African elephant is the larger of the two.
Doesn’t it kill you to see a movie and see an animal get killed or just hurt in it? Good thing that’s all special effects. Back in the day, around 1966, movies didn’t always use special effects. Khartoum, a movie based on a holy war in the Sudan desert, directed by Basil Dearden and Eliot Elisofon, used horses a great deal, but did not use the special effects in order to not hurt the animals. Many horses died in the making of this movie, as well as others, even including a major hit, Ben-Hur. Today, there are many activist groups that fight for and about the unfair treatment and protection for animals in everyday life. The People for Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) is one of these groups. PETA was founded in 1980, and since then has been working on getting the point across to the public that animals “are not ours to eat, wear, experiment on, or use for entertainment.” (PETA: Official Page). PETA also focuses on educating policymakers and the public about the abuse of animals and making it known that animals deserve the right to be treated with respect.