The story of India's most celebrated animal war heroes

From armoured camels to spy squirrels, war heroes come in all shapes and sizes. Neha Mishra recounts the stories of some of India's most celebrated animals

Armed forces across the globe have employed animals through the ages — a practice as old as warfare itself. Though modernisation has noticeably reduced the army’s requirement of animals and today’s mounted troops ride in armoured vehicles rather than on horseback, these advancements have not made animals obsolete in modern warfare. In times of trouble, like soldiers, animals too have put their best foot, paw, fin, flipper or wing forward to answer the call of duty.

Mules in the Indian army

Pedongi, the mule who outsmarted