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.

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.