U.S. Marines Drink Cobra Blood as Part of their Training

PETA sent a letter to the United States Marine Corps asking them to stop a harmful practice used in training. The exercise, called “Cobra Gold,” where Marines must drink cobra blood and kill animals that might keep them alive.

According to the Daily Mail, Cobra Gold is part of an event where the United States and Thai forces learn and carry out extreme survival techniques. Soldiers lined up to drink cobra blood, thought to be a substitute source of hydration if water isn’t available in the jungle.

The soldiers were also forced to eat scorpions, tarantulas and other jungle bugs as part of the exercise. They are taught how to forage and find food, but also to defang tarantulas. As the Daily Mail pointed out, there are multiple vegan options in the jungle, including plentiful fruits and vegetables.

PETA protested the exercise, saying that other armed forces don’t use live animals in foraging. In a letter General David H. Berger, Commandant of the U.S. Marine Corps, PETA said, “We urge you to follow the lead of individual U.S. Marine Corps and U.S. Army facilities that have previously ended the use of live animals in food procurement survival exercises and instead use more effective and ethical non-animal training methods during Cobra Gold.”

PETA also urged the Marine Corps to, “learn food procurement survival skills without having to use live animals in abhorrent training drills.”

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