Animals at War

That is Able Seacat Simon to you!

 

Foxes are a native animal to the US, though it's arguable that the native red fox subspecies is somewhat polluted by reds imported from Europe. If you look closely at Norman, you'll see his coat changes color from front to rear and there's even a sort of ring around his tail. That marks him as a native red fox (sometimes called a "cross fox"). The foxes down in the lower 48 are mostly one hue and somewhat redder/oranger in color, which indicates they descend from imported European foxes.

 

Hmm...interesting...

 

Wifey....He's named it Norman....here Norman...itchy itchy itchy...got a little bit of meat for you darlin.....wifey get the gun.

 

Urgh has been bitten by a fox

 

And just when you think it couldn't get any wackier....
"Modern militaries have all manner of weapons at their disposal from nuclear submarines to heat-seeking missiles.
But 400 years ago technology was rather more limited and armies had to make the very best of their resources - in whatever shape or form they may take.
One such quest to steal a march on the enemy led to the publication of a whacky manuscript from 16th Century Germany which even considered using cats and birds to bomb opposing forces.
Called Feuer Buech, which translates from old German as Fire Book, the 235-page treatise from 1584 contains a drawing of a feline and his feathered friend with 'rocket packs' strapped to backs as they ran and fly past a castle.
It's not clear whether they were actually used, but animals have for centuries been deployed in warfare, often to deliver messages or for transportation, but sometimes as weapons."
Plot to use cats and birds as bombers revealed... in 16th Century German weapons manuscript | Mail Online

 

Do foxes take lambs? I know they're hell on chickens.

Foxes? Hah! Real men get bitten by bears!

 

Look Bear man...We in UK...have many natural dangers to contest with....ever wrestled a squirrel?

Yep they take lambs...Lambing in the old barns and polytunnels can be a nightmare...we generally lose from birth to putting back out to graze about 5 percent to foxes and badgers...badgers generally kidnap em and just drill into head..dogs then take anything at any time...hence I've managed 1 fox, 1 dog that I'll admit to in last year, without taking into account the traps we set, and support to the hunts which sometimes unfortunately cannot stop the dogs doing what comes natural...And fox's still bite the dust...We have guys who come to farms around here just for a nights shooting to help us all out..they usually account for a 20 or 30 annually just on our little holdings.

Snakes? Bears? Lynx...you've not seen anything till you've seen the mrs take on a squirrel...

 

I wouldn't mess with an angry squirrel! When I was a kid, my best friend Stan had a younger brother named Eddie. Eddie wasn't too bright. One day Stan and I cornered a squirrel on the little dock that stuck out in the water in his yard. We thought we'd catch him and keep him as a pet, but were (just) smart enough to realize that squirrels bite. So, we sent Eddie in with careful instructions on squirrel-grabbing. Eddie ended up in the emergency room with his fingers bitten to the bone.

Stan (Stoshu, as his Polish mother called him) got the whoopin' of his life, while I got off easy after creating an "I told them to leave that squirrel alone" story. I've never really trusted any rodent since then.

I'm not keen on bears either, after this:

 

Which is why I go rabbit hunting instead...Blimey you've got a pic for everything...Have you ever wrestled a playboy model...Pics please. Sort of still on pet thread...loosly....

 

That would be a lifetime of coffee and donuts at traffic intersections with appropriate reading material then?

Talking pets and rabbits...there is a whole genereation over here who would quiver at the thought of eating rabbit these days..don't know what they are missing...We go nuts here when horse meat gets into the beef burgers...mmmm

 

I have a wildlife photography book out, in addition the to bear book.

After the bear 'rassling incident, we were stuck on the mountain for about 4-5 hours since I couldn't walk. We had a marine band radio back in camp some miles away (50 miles from the nearest road) and it took that long to connect with a fishing boat passing the mouth of the bay, who relayed our mayday to the coast guard for a helo. My companion thought he should document the event so took a series of photos. He said later that he figured I was going to bleed out and die and thought he should take the pictures "for my family" since nobody thought help would arrive - the radio was line of sight and we were in a deep fiord ringed by mountains. I don't think the family would have really appreciated the pictures, but they sure helped sell the book!

From the photography book- local Kodiak "red" foxes come in all hues:

 

wifey....the big gun if you please...and ring round the farms...we've got work to do...

 

I saw a picture floating around of a Russian WWII unit who had a pet fox as a mascot. They were proudly posing with the fox and the photo identified it as a small dog.

I spent a few minutes googling for it, but couldn't find it.

I turned up these, just to get the thread back on track.

A GI in the Aleutians with an arctic fox.


A British (?) WWI flyer with a fox.


And a Russian soldat with a bear cub.

 

I have read in the past that during the Siege of Vicksburg (May 18 – July 4, 1863), one of the Texas regiments had a camel as a mascot. How a camel ended up in the Confederate Army in Mississippi is beyond me. It was shot and killed by a danged yankee sharpshooter before the surrender. I'll try to dig up more on the subject now.

 

The RAF to this day, still roll out the goat at major parades of units....The goat figures highly in RAF life. We even have our own forum called E Goat in memory of old goats men women and goats who served in RAF.

 

Some one thought camels could be of use in the Southwest

 

I believe The Civil War also produced a bird, an American Eagle called "Old Abe" that used to sit atop the regimental standard of a certain Union regiment, (Maybe the "Iron Brigade").

'Old Abe' was famed, participating in numerous fights and skirmishes, and before a particularly bad battle, (Spotsylvania perhaps?) Flew off and circled around until the ferocity of the engagement had died down.

Another Civil War regiment had a pet Chicken, published in 'Magenta Red' colouring, and referred to as "The Big Pink Chicken".

My favourite animal story concerns a certain white bull terrier called "Willie", owned by General George S. Patton jnr. "Willie" had a sergeants rank, but was regulary 'busted' to private for one indiscretion or another. Another of his habits was to render some Third Army and SHEAF conference tents uninhabitable with abominable smells that could sometimes escape from him, getting him a swift kick from Patton, and a banishment outside, followed by generals covering their faces from the stench. Such professionalism is a rare treat.....