Importance of Animals in World War I

Animals of all species have played an important role in human combat since they were first domesticated by people of the Mesolithic period. Although an industrial war, World War One still utilized many animals to assist the soldiers on the battle field. Countless species such as horses, donkeys, mules, dogs, cats, parrots, pigeons, elephants and even slugs performed jobs that humans were unable to do. Carrying supplies for the soldiers was just one of the uncountable jobs that were accomplished by animals who served. A few newspapers from the time of the war state that “When the historian writes the story of the world war, he will devote several chapters to the work of animals” (Newspaper: ‘The Saint Croix Courtier’. Thursday, April 19, 1917), yet the horrific conditions these creatures endured along with human soldiers are often overlooked. Most of these courageous animals, some of whom never returned, died forgotten heroes when in fact they should be recognized along with the lost soldiers.

The horse, along with the donkey and mule, was the most widely used animal in human battle. They were usually sold to armies in very high numbers. Headlines from the era read “Equine Heroes in War, Numerous as the Human’ (Newspaper: ‘The Saint Croix Courtier’. Thursday, March 15, 1917). There were an estimated 500 000 horses called for during World War I, and 80 000 donkeys and mules. These animals were mostly used as they were better than vehicles when it came to traveling through deep mud which covered most of the battle fields. They would pull the intense weight of artillery, ambulances, and supply wagons. Donkeys were even made to carry more than three times their own body weight. To get the soldiers to the front line, horses were also used. When there, the soldier would dismount fight on foot. Occasionally, mules were used instead of horses as they required less food, had more stamina and they were more tolerant when it came to extreme weather conditions. About 7000 horses were killed during a single day of battle. Enemies would deliberately target them, they would get poisoned by gas, or they would die from skin diseases due to the mud. Without horses, donkeys and mules, soldiers may have been forced to carry their own supplies or left without if vehicles got stuck in the mud.

Dogs and cats are normally recognized as your everyday household pets, but they had a huge responsibility in helping soldiers at war. The best breeds of dogs were usually sheep dogs, collies and Irish terriers. These breeds of dogs were usually demanded for as they were brave, strong and dedicated to completing their assigned tasks. Dogs were mainly donated to the army by families, shelters and police stations. In order to prepare for the war, after being donated they would go through series of very precise and fast training. Each new dog was given a new collar and number and then sent off to battle. The most common job for dogs was a messenger. When phone lines had failed due to damage, messenger dogs oversaw delivering these extremely important messages. If these messages were not delivered, soldiers could mistakenly shoot their allies. Messenger dog were required to work alone without a handler in sight. Dogs would also carry medical supplies to injured soldiers on the battlefield. Over 20 000 dogs served alongside frontline soldiers. Casualties among these dogs were small. Along with the dogs, there was an estimated 500 000 cats brought to the trenches. These cats kept the soldiers happy as they acted like a mascot for support. At the same time, they would prevent rats from infesting the trenches and would also detect gas earlier than any human could. These cats eventually earned the nickname ‘trench cats’ from their fellow soldiers.

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Birds had an important role in the Great War too. Birds such as pigeons and parrots had thousands of lives depend on them. Armies viewed these birds as an important attribute to their military. A popular bird that was used during the war was the homing pigeon. Their job was to carry messages from up to 300 miles at a speed of up to 68 miles per hour. Their missions usually succeeded 95% of the time. These magnificent birds were so important to the military that if a military pigeon was harmed or killed there was a fine of $100. Pigeons were extremely useful for when telephone wires were damaged during battle. These birds carried a message within a small cup in a cylinder which was strapped to its leg. The routes in which these birds were to travel in the trenches was learned quite fast. Over 100 000 pigeons were used in World War I. An example of just one of these incredible birds was Cher Ami. When delivering a vital message through crossfire, she was shot through the chest, lost an eye and her leg was hanging on by a tendon. Despite her terrible injuries this bird still managed to make it to her destination and deliver the message. By delivering this message, Cher Ami saved over 200 soldiers from dying from friendly fire. This bird illustrated how dedicated most of the other pigeons in war were too. Although not as common as the pigeon, parrots were used in World War I as well. Parrots were most commonly used at the Eiffel Tower early during the war. They would warn soldiers of an enemy aircraft that was approaching. The parrots were used as they could sense an aircraft 20 minutes before any human could. They would then warn soldiers and they could prepare fight. Soldiers could also guess when there could be gas on its way as the birds would act wild in their cages. They could then put on their gas masks ahead of time. Usually when the gas was sensed by a human it was too late. Without these impressive birds, many more soldiers could have died from friendly fire, gas attacks, or a surprise attack from an enemy aircraft.

Some of the species used in World War I may come to surprise you. For instance, elephants were taken from zoos and circuses when there was a lack of horses in the war. These exotic creatures were mainly wanted for their intelligence, trainability, size and strength. Their jobs were very rough and straining as they were commanded to haul 8 tons loads of tree trunks and supplies through terrible conditions. Without these intelligent giants many supplies for soldiers would not have been transported when the number of horses were low. Not all species used in war were as big as an elephant in fact, slugs were even brought to the trenches to help. It is exceptional that something so small managed to save countless men on the battle field. As the slug could sense mustard gas much quicker than a human, their job was to alert the soldiers of gas before it was too late. These slugs would physically demonstrate their discomfort by shutting their breathing pores and squeezing their bodies. When soldiers saw this, they would quickly apply their gas masks. These tiny creatures, that are commonly deemed useless today, managed to save so many people from dying from gas attacks during the war.

Animals, both great and small, served together with humans in World War I. Many sacrificed their lives completing jobs that managed to save countless soldiers from being killed by many different causes. These animals were made to travel through terrible environments to deliver lifesaving messages, endure the horrific conditions of the trenches to kill rodents, to pull injured soldiers to safety, and to pull full loads of supplies bigger than themselves! By comparison, today it is considered only ethical that horses should carry 10 to 15% of their own body weight and only ever pushed to a maximum of 20%, anymore is considered inhumane. In World War I we forced animals to carry more than 100% of their body weight combined with the brutal and muddy grounds of the battle fields, yet these creatures continue to go unnoticed by many. Both humans and animals suffered the exact same brutal torture that the Great War brought, so why not remember the humans and animals who sacrificed their lives? Animals played a very important role in World War I and deserve to be remembered alongside the soldiers who sacrificed their lives during the war as well.