Interactions Between Local Predators and Warfare

A hidden and disturbing aspect of warfare is the interactions of the local carnivores and the Human population during war-times. It is very common, even to this day for local predators like Wolves, Hyenas, Tigers, Crocodiles, Leopards, Lions and other predators to feast on the corpses left behind on the battlefields (I will not focus on smaller animals like Crows and Rats that prey on corpses from the battlefields since they are of no threat to living humans). This unfortunately leads the predators to have a taste of the living humans, causing problems for refugees and soldiers alike. One incident is that during a clash between government troops and insurgents in Ethiopia during an attempted coup, Hyenas made short work of the thousands of corpses left behind. In Sudan, the Hyenas also increasingly prey on humans due to the readily available from the violent Civil Wars. In the American Vietnam War, Tigers have been known to attack the Viet Cong and American troops alike. Strangely for most wild animals, some of the Tigers were attracted to Gunshots because they associated it with free meals in the form of dead bodies from the clashes between ARVN and the PAVN. In one episode of Duck Dynasty, Si Robertson comically described a case of him witnessing a Tiger dragging off a mortally wounded comrade into the jungle to young children in a class room. In WW1 wolves have been known to feast on corpses in the infamous trenches. The wolves soon started to attack living soldiers. The attacks got so serious that Russian and German troops formed unofficial alliances with each-over in order to hunt the wolf packs down. In WW2 Burma, Crocodiles and Tigers alike turned to man-eating. Several man eating Tigers plagued villages even after the war, and man eating Crocodiles even annihilated a feeling Japanese Army in the Battle of Ramree Island. All in all, I guess man eating (both the living and the dead) predators are just another one of those hidden horrors presented in wars along with cannibalism, rape, and human body part trophy taking.