Animal rights activists filed a complaint yesterday with the U.S. Department of Agriculture requesting an investigation into the deaths of several pigs that died while being transported via cargo ship from California to Hawai'i.

The People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals said 13 pigs died on two separate voyages during the summer and may have suffered from poor conditions, which could be in violation of the Animal Welfare Act.

The vessels, operated by Matson Navigation Co., were transporting hundreds of swine from Oakland to Honolulu, some of which were to be used for human consumption and others were headed for the Army's Schofield Barracks, according to state agriculture records.

It's unclear how many, if any, of the deceased pigs were to be used by the Army.

A phone message left for the Army's 25th Infantry Division was not immediately returned.

The complaint was PETA's latest efforts to thwart the Army's practice of shooting live pigs and treating their gunshot wounds in a medical trauma exercise that the military says is critical to learning emergency lifesaving skills.