The Odisha Police are conserving over 100 Belgian Homer pigeons.
Pigeons Under Conservation
In the age of the digital internet, traditional forms of communication such as postcards and telegrams have become obsolete. However, the police force in Odisha, India, is striving to maintain an even older method of communication: homing pigeons as a backup communication system during disasters.
According to Reuters, this method dates back to when India was a British colony. Police stations used pigeons to communicate with one another. Today, the homing pigeon team in Odisha boasts over 100 Belgian Homer pigeons.
Satish Kumar Gajbhiye, Inspector General of Police for Cuttack district, stated: “We keep these pigeons for their heritage value and to preserve them for future generations.”
Historian Anil Dhir, from the Indian National Heritage and Arts Commission, noted that Odisha has “the only pigeon transport service currently available in the world and is a unique example of an ancient tradition being preserved in modern times.”
Homing pigeons possess an innate ability to navigate and find their way home from great distances, capable of traveling hundreds of miles in just a few hours.
Homing pigeons in India. (Photo: Reuters).
These reliable birds have become a crucial link between remote police stations when communication breaks down during disasters. In fact, during the catastrophic floods of 1982, pigeons served as the only communication line to the town of Banki.
Pigeons also played a significant role during the 1999 super cyclone and subsequent floods, as radio networks collapsed, leaving most communication lines disrupted.
Reports indicate that these intelligent pigeons have assisted the police in tricking and capturing many criminals on the run.
Homing Pigeons Never Fail
The pigeons typically carry messages written on very lightweight onion paper, which are placed in a small tube and tied to their legs.
Dhir mentioned that a large number of Belgian pigeons were chosen because they can fly 25 kilometers in just 15-25 minutes and live up to 20 years. According to Betterindia.com, these pigeons can also fly distances of up to 800 kilometers at speeds of 55 km/h, depending on weather conditions.
Parshuram Nanda, the caregiver for the pigeons, said: “We start training them when they are 5 to 6 weeks old… They are taught to recognize locations and perform various services.”
As they grow older, the pigeons are taken some distance away to be released and instinctively find their way back to their shelter.
“The distance gradually increases, and within 10 days, they can fly back from about 30 kilometers away,” Nanda said.
Historian Anil Dhir noted that studies show pigeons can detect magnetic fields and see their destination from thousands of miles away.
He stated: “Even in the unlikely event that all communication methods are disrupted tomorrow, these pigeons will never fail.”
