By Bernard Unti
The HSUS and Humane Society International have renewed their call to the U.S. Department of Defense to change its policies concerning animal control in Iraq, pet keeping by soldiers, and the punishment of cruelty to animals under the Uniform Code of Military Justice. This action came in response to the circulation of undated, unsourced video footage that depicted U.S. soldiers taunting and throwing rocks at a crippled dog somewhere in Iraq.
In a Jan. 18, 2007 letter [PDF] to Secretary of Defense Robert M. Gates, HSUS President and CEO Wayne Pacelle wrote, "The issues that continue to trouble us involve indiscriminate killing of animals as part of poorly conceptualized rabies prevention programs, the enforcement of General Order 1-A (GO-1A) as it concerns the keeping of animals and mascots by soldiers, and the reports, fortunately still rare, of U.S. soldiers killing and abusing street animals."
This is the third time in two years that The HSUS has contacted the Department of Defense on animal issues relating to the conflict in Iraq. In March and August 2005, Pacelle contacted then Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld to express similar concerns. Rumsfeld did not reply on either occasion.
In the years since the war began, The HSUS and HSI have frequently been contacted by American soldiers attempting to rescue or bring home animals from the conflict zone. But the obstacles to doing so have greatly expanded since Lieutenant Jay Kopelman successfully brought home his dog Lava in early 2005. Kopelman's account of his efforts, "From Baghdad with Love: A Marine, the War, and a Dog Named Lava," has been on the New York Times Bestseller List for many weeks.
After a promising start in 2004, the Iraqi Society for Animal Welfare, whose work the Department of Defense had supported for a short time, has come on hard times. The challenging circumstances of the conflict have made it impossible for the society to maintain its shelter and extend its mission.
