SM readers are probably aware that I enjoy spotlighting animals whenever I can. The latest beasts to rise to blog-worthiness are the noble asses of the Pakistani Military. The only easy day was yesterday. The BBC reports:
They have their own parades, rigorous training and dedicated doctors. They are treated as fully fledged soldiers.Some villagers used to laugh at how much time the army spent on them.
But now the mules of the Pakistani army are proving saviours for some of the tens of thousands of quake survivors still stuck atop inaccessible mountains.
Nine days after the killer quake struck Kashmir and parts of northern Pakistan, the army mobilised its animal transport units (ATUs), or what’s left of them, to reach inaccessible areas – sometimes without any human assistance.
These units of specially trained mules have been a critical link in the logistics serving the Pakistan army – and the Royal Indian Army under the Raj before that – in the mountainous northern regions and Kashmir.
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p>Anyone that has participated in high altitude climbing knows that mules can often be invaluable. In addition to carrying supplies, mules and their cousins can help carry you should you fall ill, as many poor quake victims surely have. My friend and I were accompanied by a friendly mule named Carlos while on a mountain in Peru. Because of our manly egos we told each other that it was better to leave the other on the side of the mountain than be helped onto the mule. We had this conversation out of earshot of Carlos of course. Beasts of burden have been invaluable to armies for centuries, if not longer.
Military officials dealing with the ATUs say there were more than 2,000 mules deployed in Kashmir when the quake struck.An officer in the border region of Chikothi in Kashmir told the BBC news website that “only a fraction survived“.
The army takes the loss hard – these mules enjoy a status no less than that of a fully fledged soldier.
Like men, they have to go through a rigorous selection procedure followed by several months of training before they can be formally drafted into the army.
Keep in mind that it isn’t just the Pakistani military that knows a good soldier when it sees one. The first U.S. Special forces deployed in Afghanistan were also mule mounted.
In addition to horses, special operators used mules to move food, ammunition and other gear through Afghanistan’s mountains and deserts, Rumsfeld noted. Some of the animals’ equipment was shipped in from the United States, he told reporters, adding: “I have seen drop orders that included saddles, bridles and horse feed…” [Link]
Next time you see a mule, make sure to pat it on the head and thank it for contributing to your freedom.
One famous soldier of that brigade is General Musharraf.
tongue-in-check 🙂
This reminds me of the mules that carried luggage, tents and sundry items while I trekked through Himachal Pradesh with a group of about 20 people. These animals are amazing — every morning a group of 10 or so mules, led by our ever-reliable cook/sherpa, would leave with all our belongings. After a long day of trekking, we would arrive at our final stop for the day and the camp would be fully set up with our tents etc. The sherpa would have hot chai and food waiting for us, while the mules grazed peacefully.
The altitudes were much less than what the army mules are probably used to — maybe 10,000 to 13,000 feet. Nonetheless they were carrying a lot of weight. I’m guessing each of the mules would carry a couple of heavy canvas tents along with 2-3 suitcases, over a distance of maybe 5 to 10 miles a day, over the rugged Himalayan terrain. Truly amazing animals — the trek wouldn’t have been possible without them!
On the sadder site… militants are making several attempts to cross LoC into India. These militants/separatists can do more damage than the earthquake. (More than 70,000 killed so far..)
Do we have to make every post about Pakistan turn into a discussion of how bad militants are? If I have learned nothing else in my life I have learned that militants are bad. Please let us focus on the asses.
Co-sign on that!
… oh you mean the mules. I thought you meant… never mind.
I suppose you’d rather focus on the right thread.
Four legged support “troops” have been used in all theaters of war. Here is a page on the Dogs Of War . Somehow “Mules of War” doesn’t quite have the same Shakespearian ring…
Whoa. My old boss is a Peruvian named Carlos. I doubt he could carry you very far. But he is a staunch Democract! 🙂
That’s nothing. My current boss is a Peruvian named Carlos. 🙂
As long as you didn’t work for a certain Venezuelan Carlos…
The Marine Corps actually has program where they are training up Marines to handle mules, particularly for Afghanistan like operations.
They have been used for everything from carrying weapons, supplies, and even been employed on medical missions.
Another article here
I am sure the Pakistani military uses these poor animals as concubines too 😀 (Ref: Rushdie’s Shame)
Hmm. We always wondered if Carlos (Professor of Physics, Molecular Biology, Chemistry, and Biophysics) took off his mustache in order to teach philosophy, history, and linguistics. Now his cover is blown–his clean shaven state is clearly reserved for more celestial endeavors.
Latest
NATO is willing to do “Berlin 1948-49 style” air bridge on a short order with Indian helicoptors.
India and Pakistan cannot see past their egos – does this make sense to a family which is freezing to death in Nhelum Valley.
Around 3 million people are at the mercy of impending winter – another Himalayan blunder.
Think fresh.
Some hilarious tidbits on these mules, FWIW:
Pakistan was forced to import thousands of donkeys and mules at exorbitant rates from as far as Brazil and Egypt in 1985 for the Mujahideen war against USSR in Afghanistan.
“It would take months to establish the mule-supply lines. One early shipment of sorry creatures purchased in Brazil arrived in Pakistan with all the animals dead. Eventually the mujahideen were moving their supplies on the backs of Tennessee mules, and the halls of Langley were soon filled with rumors (later confirmed by the Agency’s spies) that the freedom fighters were copulating with these animals,” the book says.
“You have to realize that donkeys and mules are the lowest form of life in Egypt,” explains Avrakotos. “Even a camel has greater status. But the Egyptians provided each donkey and mule with an ID card and vaccination certificate.”
The experiences of the CIA buying and shipping mules to Afghanistan over the next few years became the subject of legendary stories in the halls of Langley.
At one point, the Pakistanis became so ornery that they wouldnÂ’t permit the CIAÂ’s transporter to leave the mule manure in Pakistan. They made the planes carry the smelly droppings back to Europe.”
source: http://www.satribune.com/archives/jul20_26_03/P1_mules.htm
On the subject of asses, it’s common knowledge that mules are infertile, right?
So can any animal-knowers confirm if ligers and tigons are fertile? Otherwise why do the terms ti-ti and li-li exist if they aren’t?
Wa gwarn blud?
The latest news on the devastation of this earthquake is truly overwhelming. I don’t know what long-term improvements in delivering care and supplies can be made in terrain so hostile to modern transportation. It’s good to see a low-tech solution like mules arise in this context.
The question then becomes – why only two thousand?
The first comment split me up !