China Military's 'Secret Weapon': Trained Monkeys

But they go after birds, not humans
By John Johnson,  Newser Staff
Posted May 7, 2014 9:18 AM CDT
China Military's 'Secret Weapon': Trained Monkeys
File photo of a macaque monkey.   (AP Photo/Brennan Linsley, File)

We've got military dogs and even military dolphins. But military monkeys? The Chinese army is on it, though the special unit is trained to go after birds rather than enemy soldiers, reports the People's Daily Online. The army has trained a small group of macaque monkeys to rid an air base of birds that pose a risk to plane engines. The monkeys clamber up trees on command, destroy nests, and, most importantly, scare the birds so thoroughly that they don't return, the army says. The alternative? Sending humans up with bamboo sticks, which is time-consuming—and the birds tend to return the next day, reports the Washington Post. (More strange stuff stories.)

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