Devious carrier pigeon caught trying to smuggle cellphone parts into prison
By Laura June 
posted April 16th 2009 12:32AM
posted April 16th 2009 12:32AM
Back in late March and early April, when we first heard the terrifying tale of two shifty, hapless carrier pigeons intercepted while attempting to smuggle cellphone parts to inmates in a high-security Brazilian prison, we thought it was merely an isolated incident. Well, now that another pigeon has been caught -- this time outside a Colombian prison with a tiny suitcase full of cellphone components strapped to its back -- we have to face the truth: carrier pigeons are probably evil by nature. The Colombian authorities say that the pigeons are likely being raised inside the prison, then sent to the outside to collect the contraband handsets before doing what pigeons do best -- returning home. The officials also admit they are relatively powerless to combat the problem, though the intercepted bird is now imprisoned at a local animal shelter. So... how long until a different carrier pigeon is intercepted trying to sneak a teensy KRZR into the incarcerated, winged criminal? 
haha that's AWESOME
They might actually get a Palm Pre before everyone else.
Not if they invested in some good old fashioned falconry. Problem resolved.
DAMN YOU MICHAEL SCOFIELD!!
It must have been carrying a jailbroken iPhone.
Sorry, bad, I know.
guess what... this is BS
a healthy pigeon cannot fly with the weight of a cellphone attached to its body. just saw the test on colombian tv, it is not possible.
Ummmm, I've seen pigeons fly away with half slices of thick pizza before...my cellphone doesn't weigh any more than that.
Also, even if they couldn't carry ALL the parts, did you notice the part where it said cellphone 'components'? I.e. get 3 pigeons to carry different parts of one cellphone, then put it together when they arrive - problem solved.
carrier pigeons are extinct
you cannot train normal pigeons to fly to specific location
@sanriver, what part of cellphone ->parts
"carrier pigeons are extinct", who the hell told you that? There are enthusiast that breed and hold them in every damn country in the world (much to the chagrin of their neighbours).
Words fail me. This is Onion-quality bizarre! Mythbusters needs to test this one out stat!
What is there to test? Birds can fly. Birds are strong enough to carry parts of a cell phone.
Myth busted.
You mean myth confirmed then. If birds can do this, then it isn't a myth and thus is not busted.
Pigeons are notoriously anti-penal system.
so just keep an eye out for the big fat pidgeon that has to carry the battery and never let that one reach the destination. Problem solved!
"They are being raised inside the prison" They might try stopping them from being raised in prison, maybe?
My thoughts exactly :)
If grocery stores can't seem to stop them, I doubt a prison can.
@ Bomchickawahwah:
If the grocery stores in your area set the standard for what your prisons are capable of, I'd move.
@ Zapp...hahahaha i live in the city. We export our criminals to small towns across the state. Haha
Two things.
One this is common in all prisons. Two do you guys check your story, it isn't Columbia. It is Colombia. PLEASE Check your spelling, it is hard for me to understand how this is a mistake this day in age.
Thank you.
Muphry's Law
muphry's? was that intentional?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Muphry%27s_law
You mean how people still make this mistake, not how it is a mistake.
What is this "day in age"? I found one reference stating that an age could be considered to be a billion years. So what you've said is equivalent to "this 1/(365 days * billion years)". Is that what you meant? This day considered in units of ages?
Or could it be you meant to say this "day and age"? Sir, for the benefit of everyone (but most significantly yourself) please put down the soon-to-be-ballistic mineral samples, and return to your house made of a certain transparent amorphous substance. Thank you.
I can see some troubles flying towards them.
This really went over their head
And that isn't the beak of the problem yet!
I say it's the fowl spelling they used in the story that is confusing people.
You guys are so punny!
Looks like the bird man of Alcatraz was a few decades ahead of his time
Certainly no Monty Python fans or they would´ve used swallows.
African or European?
Supposing two pigeons carried it together?
Came for the Monty Python reference, left happy.
It's not a question of where he grips it! It's a simple question of weight ratios! A five ounce bird could not carry a one pound coconut.
The word Colombia has to be one of the most commonly mispelled words. The spell checkers don't pick it up because Columbia does exist as a word. Annoys me also when I see it mispelled.
I hope the prisoners aren't locked into contract with their CARRIERS!!!!
...sorry...
Damn. I totally just doubled up that terrible pun on accident...
...*locked* in...
...they are prisoners...
:-/
i hate myself so much.
No dude, what are you talking about, that was awesome! Almost spilled my coffee reading this :D
yea same here. best puns on the page, especially the accidental one
Want to know what's next? I'll tell you what's next -- ill-tempered pigeons with frickin laser beams on their heads. Then these so called "officials" can tell me they're powerless.
Or how about this -- block network coverage in the jail!!!
So how are the guards going to call for help when the inmates will inevitably take over?
I doubt prison guards use cellular phones for that sort of thing. I mean, you see an angry prisoner with a shiv and you think, "oh shit! slide to unlock! slide to unlock!"... yeah, no.
that's the purpose of jailbreak!!!
ColOmbia, not Columbia... When will people learn that...
You're ALL wrong!
It's "COLÓMBIA!!!!"
and if you knew any better capital letters don't have tildes on them, so its COLOMBIA, and Colómbia.
I used to think that too, but:
http://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Acentuación_de_las_mayúsculas
@ruben:
1) it is not a tilde (õ), it is an acute accent (ó)
2) capital letters may carry graphic signs