street dogs, howling in terror were the most accurate indicator
of an impending air raid on Baghdad" explored issues in the
world of animal welfare are brought to the foreground during
periods of war. It begins with their use in combat and search
situations around war-torn countries. Neglect, injuries and
death in places such as abandoned zoos are also a common concern
- at least to those who care about animals amongst the carnage
of human war victims. In fact, millions more animals die from
the causes of war than humans. For example, in the Afghan war
during the 1990's, more than 75,000 animals were lost due to
mines - that's over half of all animal livestock in Afghanistan.
In January 2009 a report by Ashraf Helmi on the GulfNews website
showed vivid evidence of a massacre by Israeli troops at Gaza
zoo. Animals shot at pointblank range, with "no sense of
reasoning" bomb sniffer dogs are given no lasting compassionate
reprieve when they suffer injuries in war countries. For
example, a black Labrador (Hobo) s