Perceptions and Attitudes towards Mules in a Group of Soldiers.

Summary

# Editorial Summary A Chilean research team surveyed 73 soldiers with varying experience in pack animal work to evaluate their understanding of mule welfare, emotional intelligence and pain recognition. Using closed-ended questionnaires coupled with empathy and pain perception assessment tools, alongside text-mining analysis of open-ended responses, the researchers explored the quality of human-mule relationships in mountainous military operations where mules remain operationally essential. Soldiers demonstrated notably stronger preference for working with mules compared to horses or donkeys, and those with higher personal empathy scores consistently showed greater capacity to recognise pain in animals—a relationship with significant implications for on-the-ground welfare decisions. Thematic analysis revealed that whilst handlers understood mules' practical requirements around nutrition, environment and health management, their conceptualisation of mules centred primarily on working capacity and logistical utility rather than intrinsic behavioural or emotional needs. The findings suggest that incorporating formal welfare and behaviour education into military training protocols could bridge this gap, particularly given that handler empathy directly correlates with pain perception awareness—a critical foundation for identifying early signs of injury, lameness or distress in working animals under demanding conditions.

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Key Findings

• •Significant positive correlations found between human empathy, animal empathy, and pain perception in soldiers working with mules
• •Soldiers demonstrated preference for working with mules over donkeys and horses
• •Text analysis identified three primary concern clusters: mules' nutritional, environmental, and health needs
• •Soldiers associated mules with working capacity, intelligence, and nobility, linking them to military logistics and mountain support roles

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