China conducts 10,000 'anal security checks' on pigeons

The Communist Party's flagship newspaper tweeted that the state was putting 10,000 pigeons through security checks on the country's National Day.

These checks apparently include anal probing according to the New York Times' Sinosphere.

“I have not heard of pigeons released at National Day requiring security checks, but it is possible for them to carry things such as explosives,” the newspaper quoted Mr. Yang of China Pigeon Net, a Chinese language website for pigeon-fanciers. “They could carry something on their legs, under a wing, or in their anus.”

“If they carried out security checks they would find them, just like on a person when they get on an airplane,” said Mr. Yang.

China is currently dealing with rising ethnic and religious violence, which has occasionally hit the heartland.

According to the report raising pigeons is a traditional pass-time in Beijing, and has given rise to a whole culture.

People even add whistles to their pigeons so they make music when they fly.