'Full body search' for 10,000 pigeons in Tiananmen Square
Birds were checked for 'suspicious items' before being released during National Day celebration
Tight security was imposed in Tiananmen Square yesterday with even pigeons taking part in a National Day flag-raising ceremony undergoing two rounds of checks, including the avian equivalent of a full body search.
A member of staff at the city's pigeon association said 10,000 of the birds were checked overnight to ensure they were not carrying "suspicious items" before they were taken to the square, The Beijing News and The Mirror reported.
"We needed to closely examine their wings, tails and even anuses," the newspapers quoted the staff member as saying.
The birds were then checked again early yesterday morning at the square.
Four armed police holding torches examined their cages and around the wheels and engines of each truck carrying the pigeons and then ensured they were kept well away from tourists.
The birds were then released into the air as the national flag reached the top of the flagpole at dawn yesterday, marking the 65th anniversary of the foundation of the People's Republic.