WASHIGNTON --The HSUS has called upon the U.S. Army to end the wounding and injuring of goats at Fort Carson, Colorado, after learning of live training exercises there in which goats were to be wounded and killed.

“There’s a certain implausibility to the claim that such an exercise would properly prepare anyone for the projected scenario of battlefield care,” said Martin L. Stephens, Ph.D., HSUS vice president for animal research issues. “Of course, The Humane Society of the United States supports proper training of military medical personnel for the benefit of American soldiers, but injuring animals need not be part of the process. The Department of Defense has had nearly 20 years to figure out how to train army medics without harming live animals. If they can devise unmanned drones and bunker-busting bombs, surely they can figure out how to simulate human battlefield injuries without injuring animals.”

In late August, The HSUS received information from a credible source that medic training involving live goats would be carried out at Fort Carson on September 1 and 2 and again on September 29 and 30 and October 7 and 8. According to the source, 150 goats were to be wounded and injured, and a medical team would then attempt to repair the injuries. The goats were to be euthanized and cremated.

“The DOD’s repeated failure to respond to our requests for additional information is particularly galling in light of oversight hearings in the 1990s in which public accountability concerning military tests with animals figured prominently,” said Stephens. “We are especially disturbed by rumors that the goats will be driven off of a hillside or ledge as part of this exercise.”

Public outcry over the use of live animals in military training dates back to at least the 1980s. Then, Secretary of Defense Casper Weinberger responded by having the military substitute farm animal species such as pigs and goats for dogs. By 2001, the military reported that the use of virtual models and robotic trauma manikins had replaced “a substantial number of goats in Advanced Trauma Life Support Courses,” according to the Department of Defense Animal Care and Use Programs FY 2001 report.

The HSUS faxed a letter to Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld and Commander Colonel Brian Lein of the Army Joint Special Operations Medical Training Team at Fort Carson on August 27. The letter inquired about the status of the exercises and whether the military had explored non-animal alternatives. The HSUS made several suggestions regarding alternatives, including the TraumaMan® System (a simulator of the human body used for surgical training) and training in hospital emergency rooms.

“The Humane Society of the United States, on behalf of our eight million constituents, will continue to urge the military to stop these senseless exercises. If the DOD doesn’t like the currently available alternatives, they should spend some money and effort into research on other methods of training,” said Stephens.

The Humane Society of the United States is the nation’s largest animal protection organization with more than eight million members and constituents. The HSUS is a mainstream voice for animals, with active programs in companion animals and equine protection, wildlife and habitat protection, animals in research, and farm animals and sustainable agriculture. The HSUS protects all animals through legislation, litigation, investigation, education, advocacy, and fieldwork. The non-profit organization, which is celebrating its 50th anniversary in 2004, is based in Washington, DC and has 10 regional offices across the country.