But today, elephants are rare on the battlefield. Trucks and helicopters are faster and amphibious vehicles have made crossing rivers easier. When the situation does call for troops to use pack animals, mules are typically cheaper to obtain, safer to handle and easier to care for.

Unfortunately, elephants can still become targets in modern war, even though armies are not going into battle on their backs.

Many armed groups have embraced the ivory trade, which wipes out surviving elephant populations and helps fund militias that are trying to wipe out people. It’s a sobering reminder that when elephants and war have mixed, the former have too often become its victims.

Image: Reuters.