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Amundsen famously used his sled dogs to feed both the other sled dogs and the men of his expedition.

• feintruled 4y ago
  It was a real morale hit to the men as they had grown to really like the dogs. I guess the lesson is to never to make friends with something you are going to have to eat. Though the effectiveness is indisputable given Scott's failure. On the use of dogs as an expendable resource, Scott said "One cannot calmly contemplate the murder of animals which possess such intelligence and individuality, which have frequently such endearing qualities, and which very possibly one has learnt to regard as friends and companions.", poor guy. Quite the gentleman.
  • stevage 4y ago
    Yeah. Then Scott let his ponies starve to death in miserable conditions. Gentleman indeed.
    • feintruled 4y ago
      Well, he was of his time of course. It's not realistic to expect him to have an anachronistically enlightened view of animal rights (beyond what might be considered common even today). It wasn't anything he wasn't prepared to do himself for that matter. I think his general standard of interpersonal behaviour more than allows him the descriptor of gentleman - by the standards of his day, naturally. (As an aside, he did pioneer the use of motor sleds for antarctic expeditions, but that was a disaster for him too.)