Nervous Chinese Authorities Perform 'Anal Security Checks' On 10,000 Pigeons

Doves may symbolize peace, but officials in China aren't willing to risk it -- and they're perfectly happy to ruffle some feathers along the way if they have to.

To that end, authorities reportedly performed "anal security checks" on 10,000 pigeons in Beijing ahead of China's National Day holiday on Wednesday. China's state-owned newspaper, The People's Daily, reported on the security probe in a Tweet on Tuesday, helpfully including a picture of what a suspicious pigeon might look like:

Chinese media didn't clarify what sort of "suspicious object" might be hidden inside a pigeon's anus, the Associated Press notes.

"Their wings, tail-feathers, even their anuses must be carefully checked,” an unnamed state security officer told China's Legal Evening News, according to an English translation by The Guardian.

The New York Times reports many Beijing residents own and fly pigeons, in keeping with an old cultural tradition.

This year's National Day celebration marks the 65th anniversary of Mao Zedong founding the People's Republic in 1949.