Reterdeen Staff
Humans have always used animals for scientific purposes. Whether it’s to test a new drug, new invention and even cloning, it comes as no surprise that men use animals for experiments. In fact, before the first man was sent to space, an animal – a dog named Laika – had been sent to orbit first. Without the help from the animal kingdom, some giant strides that mankind have taken would have been impossible.
However, it doesn’t stop there. Animals have also been used in the military. Warfare has been in existence as long as man himself. So it is a no-brainer that nature has been involved too. Here are 5 times in history that humans have used animals for warfare.
- Pigeon Missiles
It is a generally known fact that pigeons can map locations and deliver messages from one place to another accurately. This is as a result of their uncanny homing abilities. The U.S military tried to use that ability during the Second World War. Back in the 1940s, they kicked off a “Project Pigeon” mission where pigeons were sought to be used as natural guiding systems for target bombing. The pigeons were trained to be placed inside the missiles they’d guide to certain targets. However, luckily for our feathered friends, the project didn’t last. Eventually, more sophisticated ways were developed for guiding missiles.
- Kamikaze-Bomber Bats
Similar to the pigeon project and also tried during World War II, was this Bomber Bat projects. The U.S Air Force looked for ways to use the precise echolocation abilities of bats to turn them into kamikaze bombers. The bats were trained and loaded with bombs to identify Japanese targets and bomb them to infinity. But this project never officially go to be used , and after several trials, the bats were retired from active service – more like a passive “never-went-to-war” service.
- Special Agent Cat
The U.S sure know how to harness the potential of animals. Back when the cold war was still hot (get it?), the CIA – in a bid to get more information – tried this idea. Since placing agents in Russia just to eavesdrop wasn’t easy, they decided to put listening devices in cats and plant them where they could pick up on Russian intelligence. Alas, the plan didn’t fly as their very first “Special Agent Cat” was knocked down by a motorist even before it entered the selected compound for eavesdropping.
- Creation of Universal soldiers
Animals have also been used for their impressive survival instincts. Scientists have, over the years, looked for ways to isolate all these survival traits and put them into humans and soldiers. They hoped to make their soldiers become Super Soldiers – like in the movie. And till now, they still haven’t created the perfect way to do this.
- Chicken Warmers
Well, these animals were not used in warfare per se. I mean, they are chickens after all. But they were still massively recruited into the U.K army during World War II. The chickens were needed to keep Blue Peacock company. Although the name may sound deceiving, but Blue Peacock wasn’t a peacock. It wasn’t an animal at all in fact.
It was a massive nuclear bomb built to be used on the Nazis. The chickens were recruited to be placed inside the bomb’s enclosement – with food and water of course – to keep the bomb warm. Luckily for the chickens too, the war ended not quite long after and they weren’t needed after all.
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