What the hell? Did the commanding officers even check to see if the species might be endangered, or threatened? Ok, I can understand hunting to supplement the soldier’s diets, but they should be responsible and make sure they aren’t helping to wipe out a species.
I checked a site on endangered species, and there are a lot of gazelles listed, and more than one kind are found in Iraq. I hope they aren’t wiping out species. 
Link
Every cloud has a silver lining- Think of all the taxpayer dollars saved on MRE’s.
If the marines can kill these gazelle with rocks and pistols, then the gazelle have lost Darwin’s Grand Challenge.
I gotta say, that sounds pretty fucking yummy.
I agree that it would be a bad thing if the gazelles are endangered, however…
…so it’s not like they’re damaging wild populations. These animals are apparently a managed herd used for hunting.
Also…
…it looks like they’re taking precautions.
So I understand your concern, but I don’t think this is a big problem. And I sure can’t blame those folks for wanting a bit of fresh meat after eating field rations for weeks.
My guess is that the soldiers are eating animals raised for Saddam’s dining pleasure. I won’t argue whether that’s right, wrong, or indifferent. From this interview:
The gazelle are, according to the article, in one of Hussein’s private wildlife ‘reserves’ so I submit there is no challenge. Like fishing in an aquarium really.
:rolleyes:
** Brutus ** :dubious:
The point is, they don’t NEED the food, they just want it. It’s not a heroic feat to wait downwind of a herd, and ambush a critter on the outside edge. By your logic, it’s a damn good thing the Dodo bird and several other species are extinct.
IMO it’s not okay to contribute to species attrition when
The only thing that gives me a little comfort is the thought that they are from Saddam’s personal reserve. No…thinking further that doesn’t say much, he could be breeding threatened species just for his plate… :eek:
And they are killing one per platoon per day? How many platoons are doing this? How many days will they continue to do so? Do they know how many animals are there? I doubt it. I can understand a special feast to boost moral, but EVERY day? The stock won’t last very long that way…
Maybe there is no real NEED, but I’m sure a change in diet after all the time these poor men and women have spent eating MREs is mighty welcome!
I’ve eaten MREs, and they’re not bad. But after a week or 4 eating nothing BUT, I’d be looking for something to shoot as well.
(again, of course, assuming that this is not an endangered species)
Well, better he did that than getting them from the wild, with no management.
Furthermore, this is not a big deal. They aren’t going to wipe out an entire herd…They just want some fresh meat. YOU eat MRE’s for weeks on end, and after your insides feel like a brick from eating the crap; let’s see how you feel about eating a gazelle.
By your logic, they would be eating spotted owl souffle, since we don’t need spotted owls, we just want them to be around.
Some hard-charging grunts are having some fresh meat, for the first time in a long time. If it comes from the fridge or its fresh off the hoof, who cares? (Other then you, PETA, and other animal-worshippers)
It IS a big deal, they are killing one PER platoon, per DAY! Let’s say there are 8 platoons, and the herd has 80 in it today. Within 10 days they will have killed them all.
This is completely glossing over the thought that the species are likely threatened at the least, and killing ANY of them is taking away from the genes needed for continuation of the species. This is a problem faced by tigers to name one species. They are too inbred, and the breeders are having trouble finding cats that aren’t related.
Brutus either contribute something other than pettish venom to my threads, or step off…
Hey, I have an idea: When a post is in The Pit, expect pittish venom, fucktard.
And how brilliantly ironic: The thread about BBQ gazelle is in the BBQ pit!
Brutus I said PETTISH, as in I wounded your iddle biddy ego a little while back, and since that time, you’ve looked for chances to take pot shots at me.
Scintillating intellect there Brute…:dubious: Keep displaying it, you might just make an impression on a lady yet. (You sure have on me,but it doesn’t count, it’s negative.) I hear there are some who like aggressive displays. I for one prefer a male who actually thinks before he speaks, and who considers the impact of his words and actions.
You do SEEM capable of holding an intelligent conversation at times, I can only attribute your diplays of malice towards me as male “hormonal imbalances”. Do you suffer from “SRH”? (Sperm retention headaches)
So…
Do you actually have something thoughtful to add to this? You live on this planet too.
FTR the only reason this is in the pit, is because I expected outraged cussing. I knew I was going to do some.
[sup](Bolding mine)[/sup]
If they are doing something to make sure that they do not deplete the herd, what the hell makes you think they would wipe the whole thing out?
Now that was pit-worthy. Hand-wringing over the fate of food-on-the-hoof is not.
Look, you may have a point IF the gazelle species at the preserve is an endangered one. You have not demonstrated that it is, you’re only assuming. So…cite?
** imthjckaz ** It seems to me, that the commanding officers are trying to give the appearance of care, but may not be doing so at all in reality. Granted I don’t have numbers, but take a look at what I said. It doesn’t say how big the preserve is, nor does it say whether or not the officers in charge have a herd count. I do know that gazelle herds are not huge though. (Unlike buffalo herds were,once) It is not unconcievable that they could easily wipe out every animal on that preserve. One kill per PLATOON per DAY! (Can someone give an exact number of how many platoons are in a unit, please?)
As I said, I’m not unsympathetic. I can understand the need to boost moral. However, not at the cost of a species. They can kill something else.
I know nothing about the various species of gazelle but in general the things are quite common around here. Some Saudis keep them as pets. Being a desert species, they aren’t generally concentrated like wildlife in more temperate climates but we see them very frequently on weekend desert trips.
Regards
Testy.
Ferrous In my first post, I gave a link to a site on endangered species. If you type in gazelle, you will find that there are several kinds of gazelle native to Iraq that are at the least threatened.
I would love to find out more, and started the thread in the hopes someone else might have more information. That’s why it’s got a shocked disbelief mood. I don’t know which exact sub-species they are killing. I hope it’s not one that is.
I sincerely hope the officers in charge have made sure that they are not. I hope they are not relying on the fact that they are in a preserve that Saddam stocked for his own dining pleasure, he has demonstrated a lack of care about the enviroment through his actions.