Some 30,000 Polish carrier pigeons disappear during race

[FarCenter]

17:3810/08/2009 http://en.rian.ru/world/20090810/155774377.html

MOSCOW, August 10 (RIA Novosti) - Polish prosecutors have begun investigations into the disappearance of 30,000 carrier pigeons during a long-distance race, Poland's TVN24 has reported.

A Polish group brought some 50,000 carrier pigeons to the German city of Schoningen to participate in a 600-kilometer (373-mile) race in late June. However, only 20,000 were able to make it back to the southern Polish city of Chorzow due to high winds and storms in the area.

The birds' owners hold the organizers responsible for the loss because they did not call the race off. Polish law stipulates a fine or prison term of up to two years for the "meditated destruction of the animal world in large numbers."

Prosecutors said other similar competitions were canceled in the area due to bad weather, TVN24 reported. They said it is hard to say if the birds died, as many could still be found in several regions between the start and finish lines.

[hwmnbn]

1. Where's Dick Cheney???... nt

[gkhouston]

2. OMG, it's bird flu! We're DOOMED!!!!

Actually, apart from lousy weather, I wonder how hungry people are in that part of the world just now...

[snagglepuss]

3. I just read your post about the missing cargo ship.

Missing cargo ship. Missing pigeons. :freak:

[FarCenter]

5. Reminds one of the old riddle about

If a truck weighing 4000 pounds carrying 200 pounds of canaries hits a bump, and all the canaries take flight, what is the weight of the truck wheels on the pavement?

[snagglepuss]

7. Well I know this is a trick and I know I'm walking into it eye open but here goes

3800 pounds.

[SoCalDem]

4. Dinner Special...Squab under glass 20 zlotys per person..all you can eat

:rofl:

[teranchala]

6. The pigeons got together and said 'piss on those humans and their stupid bird races...we quit"

How about those crows that figured out how to drop rocks in the beaker to float the worm up to eating level?
Huh? Birdbrain, indeed.
:rofl:

[csziggy]

8. The anamolies of the magnetic field are confusing their avian directional sense!

Birds Employ Earth's Magnetic Field for Navigation
Distortions in the magnetic field makes them make detours

By Stefan Anitei, Science Editor
17th of February 2007, 10:42 GMT

Scientists have been long time puzzled by how can birds follow their route during the migration and why pigeons can turn back home from large distances (pigeons are the only domestic birds able to fly, that's why this trait was more obvious on them). The researchers have not known for sure what sense empowers the birds with their navigational abilities: hypotheses included smell (but birds generally have weak smell, except condors, albatrosses and their relatives), sun position or a star map during the night.

The discovery in 2004 of tiny deposits of a mineral called magnetite (lodestone) in the beaks of pigeons and bobolink (a North American songbird) biased the debate towards the hypothesis that birds can read Earth's magnetic field (image).


The sensory cells containing the magnetite were wired to the brain, just like in the case of migratory fishes like trout, salmons and stingrays. Making use of a peculiar error in the Earth's magnetic field, a research team has been able to prove how pigeons, released off hundreds of kilometers from home, employ magnetic field for returning home.

"We are now confident pigeons do use the intensity of the Earth's magnetic field to determine position during homing," said Dr. Todd Dennis, of the University of Auckland, lead researcher of the study.

More: http://news.softpedia.com/news/Birds-Employ-Earth-039-s-Magnetic-Field-for-Navigation-47384.shtml

[HopeHoops]

9. Obama's Death Panel got them.

FOX will have "experts" on to confirm it later.

[Strong Atheist]

10. 30,000 cats

smile...

:evilgrin:

[DailyGrind51]

11. Thom Hartman was right all along!

They have been retrieved by their mother-ship and taken to their home planet!

[provis99]

12. let the Polish jokes begin...

"How can you tell the carrier pigeons let loose in Germany were Polish? They flew West to get back to Poland"

[emilyg]

14. Did you enjoy your joke?

[Liberal_in_LA]

13. poor birds.

[dorkulon]

15. "other similar competitions were canceled in the area" - how many multi-thousand Polish pigeon races

can you have at the same time?

[cynatnite]

16. They're probably in the cathedrals of Red Square fucking each other's brains out. n/t