Page 22 - eMuse Vol.9 No.11

Kuga DM —

Australian War Dog

Died of wounds

Afgahnistan 2011

For security reasons, the identity of serving members of Slowly, the injured dog made his way to the water’s edge
the SAS is kept secret. Sgt J is still an active member of that and swam back to his handler.
elite unit. This is a tribute to him and his military dog Kuga, Despite Kuga’s serious wounds, nobody gave up on the
who was a Malinois, aka a Belgian Shepherd Dog.. (See dog. Sergeant J provided immediate care, and an emergency
photo above.) medical evacuation was called in. “He was in a pretty bad
When Kuga and his special operations handler Sergeant J way at that point,” the handler said.
were choppered into Khaz Uruzgan in Afghanistan on a mis- Kuga spent the next nine months with vets in Afghanistan,
sion to locate a high-value Taliban target, they didn’t know Germany and Australia, who treated him and attempted to
they were walking into an ambush. rehabilitate him.
Nor did they know Kuga’s bravery on that day in August But the stress the injuries and recovery process placed on
2011 would make him the first Australian animal since World him proved too much, and he died in July 2012.
War II to be honoured with the Dickin Medal, known as the ‘He saved lives that day’
Victoria Cross for animals. Kuga became the first Australian dog to be awarded the
“I let Kuga off to patrol ahead and scout,” Sergeant J said. Dickin Medal, which recognises the gallantry of animals dur-
”Before long, the Malinois indicated he could sense some- ing war service.
thing lying in wait. “[He] pushed off to the left and down into a The only other Australian animals recognised by the medal
creek bank and I sort of lost sight of him. are two carrier pigeons that served in World War II, the last of
“As Kuga was starting to swim across the river, that’s when which was recognised in 1947.
the first burst of automatic gunfire came in around him. I Mary Reilly from the People’s Dispensary for Sick Animals
could see the rounds kicking up around him in the water.” (PDSA), which awards the Dickin Medal, said it was given
Despite the gunfire, Kuga pushed on to the other side of out very rarely for only the most conspicuous bravery among
the river, where he charged the shooter, and grabbed onto animals.
him. “Kuga’s sacrifice was an ultimate sacrifice,” she said. “The
“That forced that insurgent to target him as opposed to tar- reason he got the Dickin Medal was he just was so coura-
geting us,” Sergeant J said. “The insurgent had an AK-47, geous. It has become known as the animals’ Victoria Cross.”
and managed to get a shot onto Kuga, which forced him to Victoria Cross recipient and former military dog handler
let his grip go.” Mark Donaldson VC accepted the medal with service dog
The insurgent escaped, but not before Kuga was shot five Odin on Kuga’s behalf. “I personally am of the opinion that he
times and sustained shrapnel wounds to much of his body. saved lives that day,” he said.
But he didn’t give up. “The ambush would not have been sprung early enough
“Kuga was there, he was sort of sitting there I could see his so they would have stumbled into that killing zone. “If you
leg was broken. I thought I’d give it a chance and see if he’d take Kuga out of the equation … with reasonable doubt they
come if I called him.” wouldn’t have known the enemy was there.”

22 eMuse November 2020