# Australian man caught with pigeons in trousers **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [February 4, 2009, 5:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/australian-man-caught-with-pigeons-in-trousers/484382 "2009-02-04T05:52:30Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 13\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Rigamarole](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/77aa72/32.png) [@Rigamarole](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rigamarole)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2009, 5:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/australian-man-caught-with-pigeons-in-trousers/484382/1 "2009-02-04T05:52:30Z")
[Link](http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/australiacrimeoffbeatpigeons;_ylt=AjQsWQlv3sc.IlxVfVeijMseO7gF) > [@AFP](#): > > MELBOURNE (AFP) – An Australian man was caught with two live pigeons stuffed in his trousers as he got off a flight from the Middle East, authorities said Tuesday. > > Customs officers body-searched the 23-year-old after he was allegedly found with two bird eggs in a vitamin container in his pocket during baggage checks at Melbourne Airport on Sunday. Man, I hate when that happens. I have to wonder about his motive though. The article doesn’t speculate. ---
**Author:** ![Robot\_Arm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/robot_arm/32/18280_2.png) [@Robot\_Arm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Robot_Arm)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2009, 6:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/australian-man-caught-with-pigeons-in-trousers/484382/2 "2009-02-04T06:07:20Z")
Lovely bird, the Egyptian Gray; beautiful plumage. Seriously, are pigeons rare or valuable in Australia? ---
**Author:** ![Harmonious\_Discord](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/74df32/32.png) [@Harmonious\_Discord](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Harmonious_Discord)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2009, 6:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/australian-man-caught-with-pigeons-in-trousers/484382/3 "2009-02-04T18:41:21Z")
This article has better pictures. One is a close up. [http://www.news.com.au/story/0,27574,25001890-13762,00.html](http://www.news.com.au/story/0,27574,25001890-13762,00.html) ---
**Author:** ![Dromish](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b77776/32.png) [@Dromish](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dromish)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2009, 6:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/australian-man-caught-with-pigeons-in-trousers/484382/4 "2009-02-04T18:55:30Z")
Well, that’s going to raise feathers! I can’t see why anyone would go outside the proper pecking order for shipping eggs. ---
**Author:** ![garygnu](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/garygnu/32/2924_2.png) [@garygnu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/garygnu)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2009, 6:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/australian-man-caught-with-pigeons-in-trousers/484382/5 "2009-02-04T18:56:40Z")
What some magicians will do… ---
**Author:** ![F.U.Shakespeare](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/aca169/32.png) [@F.U.Shakespeare](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/F.U.Shakespeare)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2009, 7:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/australian-man-caught-with-pigeons-in-trousers/484382/6 "2009-02-04T19:09:59Z")
He’d BETTER not have put them there for the purpose of gambling. Or maybe that’s just squirrels, and only illegal in Springfield… ---
**Author:** ![Rigamarole](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/77aa72/32.png) [@Rigamarole](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rigamarole)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2009, 7:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/australian-man-caught-with-pigeons-in-trousers/484382/7 "2009-02-04T19:13:03Z")
> [@F.U.Shakespeare](#): > > He’d BETTER not have put them there for the purpose of gambling. Or maybe that’s just squirrels, and only illegal in Springfield… 😕Haven’t heard this story. Please enlighten. ---
**Author:** ![F.U.Shakespeare](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/aca169/32.png) [@F.U.Shakespeare](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/F.U.Shakespeare)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2009, 7:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/australian-man-caught-with-pigeons-in-trousers/484382/8 "2009-02-04T19:28:19Z")
In the ‘Simpsons’ episode parodying ‘Cape Fear’, the police chief quotes an archaic Springfield law that makes it “illegal to put squirrels down your pants for the purpose of gambling”. At that very instant, several officers are partaking of this strange pastime nearby (the squirrels are running around in circles in one officer’s pants, while the others are holding bills and watching anxiously), until the chief tells them to "knock it off’. ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2009, 7:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/australian-man-caught-with-pigeons-in-trousers/484382/9 "2009-02-04T19:30:26Z")
> [@garygnu](#): > > What some magicians will do… They’re not pigeons. IT’S AN ILLUSION! ---
**Author:** ![lieu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/c2a13f/32.png) [@lieu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lieu)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2009, 7:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/australian-man-caught-with-pigeons-in-trousers/484382/10 "2009-02-04T19:54:13Z")
> [@Robot\_Arm](#): > > Seriously, are pigeons rare or valuable in Australia? Well, you see those two in his bush… ---
**Author:** ![AllWalker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/db5fbb/32.png) [@AllWalker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AllWalker)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2009, 11:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/australian-man-caught-with-pigeons-in-trousers/484382/11 "2009-02-04T23:36:16Z")
Already mentioned [here](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=481189&page=2). ---
**Author:** ![Harmonious\_Discord](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/74df32/32.png) [@Harmonious\_Discord](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Harmonious_Discord)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2009, 11:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/australian-man-caught-with-pigeons-in-trousers/484382/12 "2009-02-04T23:39:15Z")
> [@AllWalker](#): > > Already mentioned [here](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=481189&page=2). It’s mentioned in a different thread too. This is the only one specifically about it though. ---
**Author:** ![Askance](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/askance/32/8281_2.png) [@Askance](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Askance)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2009, 1:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/australian-man-caught-with-pigeons-in-trousers/484382/13 "2009-02-05T01:57:18Z")
> [@Robot\_Arm](#): > > Lovely bird, the Egyptian Gray; beautiful plumage. > > Seriously, are pigeons rare or valuable in Australia? No, they’re a pest here like everywhere else. I’d speculate that these are some valuable variety of collector’s or racing pigeon, rather than the usual rat-with-wings.