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My personal favorite (which IIRC I first saw posted here on HN) is ATP 3-18.13: SPECIAL FORCES USE OF PACK ANIMALS

On top of useful information about a llama's ideal body temperature and the amount of water that a camel needs every day, it contains gems like this:

Elephants are not the easygoing, kind, loving creatures that people believe them to be. They are, of course, not evil either. They simply follow their biological pattern, shaped by evolution.

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> Elephants are not the easygoing, kind, loving creatures that people believe them to be.

Do people actually think that? My experience with wild African elephants is that your best course of action is to walk softly, keep your distance, and don't piss them off. They're scary, and smart. When they look you in the eye, they very clearly are saying, "I can crush you like a bug, little one". Our Land Cruiser got charged by a pissed off cow one afternoon. Her tusk went through the rear sheet metal of the car, and lifted the rear wheels off the ground.

I've ridden elephants before, and I would be very hesitant to even approach them, let alone load them down with cargo, without an experienced handler supervising everything.

In addition there is being around an elephant under fire. That sounds a lot like making a horrible situation way worse.

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