France’s military pigeons still ready to serve, 150 years after siege of Paris
France's last military pigeon loft, located at Mont Valerien, houses around 200 pigeons, including racing bird 193-529. While no longer used for wartime communication, these pigeons serve as a reminder of their predecessors' crucial role in World Wars I and II, and the 1870 siege of Paris. Sergeant Sylvain, whose grandfather was also a pigeon fancier, cares for the birds, which now participate in races, military ceremonies, and demonstrations. The loft's history dates back to the Franco-Prussian war, when pigeons carried microfilm messages, or "pigeongrams," into besieged Paris.
