Ethiopian Lions That Went To War With Soldiers

African forest Elephant which is now extinct have been used at least twice in warfare. First was during the battle of the Trebbia in 218 BC when the army of Carthage known as the present day Tunisia invaded Rome. They were led by the Carthaginian general Hannibal who alongside his army went with over 30 African elephant to defeat Rome.

The second time animals were used in Africa warfare was at the Battle of Raphia, where Ptolemy the fourth, the then King of Egypt took along with him 73 African war elephants in a victorious battle against the king of Seleucid. Did the Ethiopian soldiers really go to war with lions? There is a reason Ethiopian lions have become so popular and that is because they are unique from every other lions in the world.

A team of researchers, led by the University of York in the united Kingdom together with the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology in Germany, have shown that captive lions at the Addis Ababa Zoo in Ethiopia are, in fact, genetically distinct from all lion populations which has led to a proposition to conserve these lions. A part of history indicates that Ethiopian trained Lions and other wild animals for war especially battle of Adwa between Ethiopia and italy which preserved Ethiopia’s independence. In this battle, donkeys served on the front line as ambulances. Horses also served as prestigious armed personnel carriers.

Pack animals, which are still serving Ethiopian society, made a significant contribution to the victory. Among these pack animals were Lions. Unlike horses and donkeys, the lions were not ridden to the battle. Trained personnel’s only rode on it within the palace and around Addis abba for ceremonial purpose.