Gizmodo: pigeons

It's About Time They Upgraded the Carrier Pigeon

Dan Nosowitz — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 22:00:00 EDT

We knew certain prisoners used pigeons to smuggle cellphones, but this guy looks like he's merely keeping up with the times. Tying paper messages onto a bird's leg is so 20th century. [Terra]

Cellphone-Smuggling Pigeons Are a Jailbird's Best Friend

Wilson Rothman — Tue, 31 Mar 2009 22:40:00 EDT

Hey you jailkeepers, you know how the inmates been asking about keeping harmless little pigeons around? Well, it's a con: They're using them to smuggle in cellphones.

The AP reports that at the Danilio Pinheiro prison in Sorocaba, Brazil, inmates were raising pigeons, having them smuggled out, strapped with packs on their legs containing cellphone parts and, in one instance, an entire cell charger. The pigeons' weakness? Food. Guards were able to lure them down from the high fences, and foil the dastardly schemes of the as-yet-unknown culprits.

It's a funny story, but it's not super hilarious when you learn that the cellphones are smuggled into prisons so that the imprisoned gang leaders can carry out horrific attacks on police and public transportation, as Sao Paolo's First Capital Command gang did in 2006, killing over 200 people.

So if you see a pigeon chilling on the prison wall, shoot first, and then frisk it for cell parts. [SF Gate/AP]

Chinese Scientists Learn to Control Pigeons

Adam Frucci — Tue, 27 Feb 2007 10:04:26 EST

Who needs robots when you can control actual animals? Robots, they're pretty conspicuous, but no one ever suspects the pigeon of foul play.

Chinese scientists claim to have figured out a way to control the flight of pigeons remotely, telling them where to go via micro electrodes implanted in their brains. The scientists claim they don't know what practical uses this new technology may have, but we think you can expect World War III to be more reminiscent of The Birds than Flags of Our Fathers. The future's getting brighter by the day. –Adam Frucci

Bird-brained Chinese scientists learn to fly pigeons [Yahoo News]

Pigeon Flock to be Decked Out Like Camera-Toting Tourists

Charlie White — Fri, 03 Feb 2006 08:22:18 EST

It's great being at the top of the food chain. That means we can use animals for our own devices. Sorry, PETA, but that's the law the jungle. And here's a great example of our cooperation with (or if you prefer, enslavement of) animals, this time with our friends the pigeons. A flock of 20 of the birds will be enlisted to fly over San Jose, California this summer, checking for pollutants such as carbon monoxide and nitrogen dioxide. Researchers will equip each pigeon with a GPS receiver and air pollution sensors. Just to be sure all this is properly documented, each member of the flock will be decked out like a tourist, with a miniature camera hanging around its neck for aerial picture taking. All the resulting data will be sent back to home base using a miniature self-contained backpack that contains all the necessary gadgetry in addition to the guts of a cellphone. Watch for the results of this unique reconnaissance mission in August, where its data will be displayed on the Web in the form of an interactive map.

Pigeons get backpacks for air pollution monitoring [Reuters]