Jail Birds (No, Really)

Carrier pigeons were indispensable to the victory of the Allies during World Wars I and II. They were given fancy french names like Gustav and Mon Cheri. Many pigeons received medals of honor. Like, from governments.

But, oh, those were the days. When pigeons had integrity. A sense of ethics. Since, their reputation as a species has really taken a nosedive; they’ve been uselessly pooping on the streets of our metropolises for decades, and now, they’re soaring to new lows.

Brazilian prison authorities recently discovered a drug ring being lead by a gang of pigeons. Apparently the birds have been in cahoots with inmates, who have, to their credit, managed to tame the pigeons and construct clandestine roosts in their cells.

Under the radar, these pigeons of crime have been transporting drugs and cell phones en masse into prisons like the one in Marilia, Sao Paulo. Their nefarious activity was only discovered when prison guards–who had totally been wondering where all these drugs and phones were coming from–noticed that pigeons around the prison were having trouble flying. This is allegedly due to the weight of their cargo, not to drug use.

Photo of 1918 spy pigeons via pigeonrace.com