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Turks Suspect Bird Is Israeli Spy

Villagers were certain bee-eater was hiding a microchip

By Mary Papenfuss,  Newser Staff

Posted May 17, 2012 12:03 AM CDT

(Newser) – A tiny bird triggered a peck of trouble in a Turkish village when residents became convinced the creature was an Israeli spy. The dead European bee-eater was discovered wearing a metal band stamped with the word "Israel." Investigating villagers determined that the cheeper's nostrils were larger than average, possibly large enough to carry a microchip to aid in espionage. A careful examination by agricultural ministry experts concluded the bird was safe, and that the band was a common tracking measure for migratory birds—though it was tough to convince local police, officials told the BBC.

Which one is the spy?
Which one is the spy?   (Wikipedia)
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COMMENTS
Showing 3 of 17 comments
RogerMohajir
May 17, 2012 9:28 AM CDT
This took place in a small village outside of Gaziantep, in a very rural part of Turkey that Istanbulis make light of the way New Yorkers make Deliverance jokes about parts of Appalachia. It's not a reflection of any special backwardness in Turkey, just the marvelous capacity for rural pockets of people to remain insulated from the "modern" world we all think we know so well. When traveling in Turkey in the 1970s, I visited the town of Tatvan (in comparison to which Gaziantep is a veritable metropolis) along with three other American teenagers. When we walked into town, we were surrounded by children asking us if we were Chinese. None of us was of Asian ancestry, and it's hard to imagine three people who looked less Chinese. But the town had heard that Chinese engineers were coming to work on an infrastructure project, and here were these obvious foreigners -- so, they must be the Chinese.
Rational.-Anarchist
May 17, 2012 7:28 AM CDT
It seems that their grasp of reality is a bit loose. I guess they don't get much contact with the 21st century
Fondue
May 17, 2012 7:08 AM CDT
Oh punny Papenfuss.
 

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