Allow me to note with dismay the declining standards as to the birds we immortalize in museums. These two are being hailed as "the two most famous tragically dead birds of the 21st century". In the 20th Century, pigeons were rightly decorated as war heroes:
"[Pigeon] Gustav was a real local hero, putting his life on the line to bring back vital information on the success of D-Day."I certainly do not, however, belive that the pigeon-guided missile would have been an ethical use of such potentially valiant creatures."On his last mission, "Cher Ami," shot through the breast by enemy fire, managed to return to his loft. A message capsule was found dangling from the ligaments of one of his legs that also had been shattered by enemy fire. The message he carried was from Major Whittlesey's "Lost Battalion" of the 77th Infantry Division that had been isolated from other American forces. Just a few hours after the message was received, 194 survivors of the battalion were safe behind American lines."
