International welfare group protests GI’s shooting of stray animals

Animals caught in the line of fire have inherent rights, too.

This is according to an international animal rights group, which called on the Philippine government and the US military to take legal action on the reported shooting of stray animals by American soldiers taking part in the joint RP-US military exercises in Sulu.

The group People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) expressed its concern over reports claiming a US navy SEAL officer, LtSG. Mike Rice, had been shooting stray animals that wandered into their camp on Seit Higad beach last Feb. 10.

Rice continued to shoot stray animals, defying repeated admonitions from Filipino military officials participating in the joint training exercise.

"We are looking into the legal implications of this matter under Philippine law, specifically Section 6 of the Animal Welfare Act of 1998, which Rice may have contravened," said Ingrid Newkirk, PETA president.

Newkirk said Rice’s erratic behavior of shooting down stray animals was a serious issue that needed to be addressed.

"The US military can ill afford to allow its service men and women to act with such wanton disregard for the welfare of those in the countries in which they operate. First the torture of prisoners in Abu Ghraib, and now the shooting of innocent and defenseless animals for kicks in the Philippines — what next?" Newkirk said.

She issued a personal appeal to Col. James Linder, the commander of the US Joint Special Operations Task Force (JSOTF) based in the US Embassy in Manila.

The group also sent a copy of its appeal to US Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld.

Linder, on the other hand, said there had been reports of an "unhealthy, stray dog that had to be destroyed by US forces" because rabies "is endemic to the area."

"I do not condone the destruction of healthy animals," Linder told The STAR.

"JSOTF is trying to do good things in Jolo," he said. "We are here to help, not harm."

The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said an investigation into the incident is now underway.

Foreign Affairs spokesman Gilberto Asuque said the investigation by the DFA will be separate from an inquiry being conducted by the US Embassy on the reported erratic behavior of American troops participating in the joint military exercises in Jolo.

Asuque explained the DFA would deal with concerns arising from the reported incident, stressing that all American military personnel participating in joint RP-US military exercises had already been briefed on Filipino culture and sensitivities along with pledging to obey Philippine laws.

He said the government is hoping the US troops participating in the joint military exercise will continue to adhere to the US Embassy’s advice.

The US Embassy earlier assured that all American troops in joint exercise would be made "fully" aware of Filipino culture and customs.

PETA, which claims to have more than one million members and supporters from 40 countries including the Philippines, issued the appeal to Linder and the US Embassy to "do everything... to ensure that these incidents do not occur again, and that Rice is held fully accountable for his actions."

PETA noted the possibility that the animals had merely strayed into the military theater of exercise, thus getting shot in the line of fire.

"Because domesticated animals in rural areas often have the run of the land, there is a good chance that the animals in the line of fire were companion animals, and there would be further implications were that the case," Newkirk said.

She said the animals that might have been shot, even accidentally, "were suffering slow and lingering deaths as a result of being wounded rather than killed outright."