A pigeon suspected of spying for China was released from captivity this week after Indian officials had detained it for close to eight months.
After learning that the pigeon had been detained since May 2023 at an animal hospital for eight months, the animal protection organisation stepped in.
The pigeon was captured close to a Mumbai port, and detectives feared it was being used for espionage. When it was discovered, two rings bearing what looked to be Chinese characters were attached to its legs.
The bird was sent to the Bai Sakarbai Dinshaw Petit Hospital for Animals for an investigation and medical examination.
A few months later, the police were contacted by the animal hospital to ask whether they might free the bird, which was in good health and occupied a cage there.
The bird was wrongly accused and released by doctors on Tuesday at the Bombay Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals after eight months in captivity.
It was discovered to be an open-water racing bird from Taiwan that had escaped and flown to India.
History and security concerns
Throughout history, pigeons have been employed for both warfare and espionage, with the UK military using them to convey messages throughout both the First and Second World Wars.
When a correspondent landed on Sword Beach in Normandy on June 6, 1944, he drafted a report and tied it to a pigeon named Gustav, which carried the first news of D-Day back to the United Kingdom (UK).
Due to security concerns, India had previously detained the birds. 2020 saw the seizure of a Pakistani fisherman’s pigeon by suspicious police in Indian-controlled Kashmir.
According to an inquiry, the bird had just flown over the border between the two countries and was not a spy.
A pigeon that had been detained in 2016 was said to have had a note threatening Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
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