Animals played a vital part in the Campaign, especially the mule.
What is a mule?
A mule is a strong, intelligent hybrid, the offspring of a male donkey (jack) and a female horse (mare).
Mules inherit desirable traits from both parents, making them hardy pack animals with the endurance of a donkey and the strength of a horse.
Key characteristics of a mule
Mules inherit desirable traits from both parents, making them hardy pack animals with the endurance of a donkey and the strength of a horse.
Key characteristics of a mule
- Parentage: Male Donkey (jack) + Female Horse (mare).
- Appearance: Varies, but often has a horse-like body with longer ears and a braying sound (mix of whinny and hee-haw).
- Temperament: Intelligent, cautious, and less prone to panic than horses, making them safer.
- Hardiness: Excellent stamina, require less food, and are tough in harsh conditions.
- Sterility: Cannot reproduce with other mules due to an uneven chromosome count.
- A hinny is the rarer cross of a male horse (stallion) and a female donkey (jenny), and tends to look more like a small horse with donkey ears.
Why did they use mules in Salonika?
- Mules are known for being sure-footed, intelligent, and efficient workers.
- They were few proper roads in Salonika. Mules could go where vehicles couldn't.
- Mules were used for transporting supplies
- Mules were used for carrying wounded or sick soldiers.