The heroic journey of Cher Ami the War Pigeon

Urban Pigeons are everywhere here in Singapore, at the street, food center, and almost every corner of the city area. I bet some of you also have stories on how these feral birds annoyed you.

With all those annoying things about pigeons, there are some of us that are pleased on feeding them on the street or at the park. It seems that these pigeons know where to find the people who will feed them.

It made me wonder, how do these birds come to live with us in the city?

It seems that they are very adaptable in places where we humans thrive. How come they seemed to be so attached to us even though most of us never considered them as pets.

Well, there was a time that I considered them as pets.

During my childhood, I had two dozens of these pigeons. The reason why I raised them is that I'm fascinated by them in movies featuring cities like New York and London. These pigeons seemed really friendly. And If you observed them long enough, you will notice that they have their own personality. Some are friendly, scared, nervous, and so on.

I was really interested in these pigeons that I made them my subject for one of my photography sessions. I did follow them on the street and tried to understand their ways.

This interest of mine also led me to my research on how did they end up in cities all over the world. In my research, these pigeons were originally from the Middle-eastern region. They are brought to other countries because they were the best messengers at the time when there were no telegraphs or any long-distance communication equipment yet.

Pigeons have made contributions of considerable importance to humanity, especially in times of war. In war, the homing ability of pigeons has been put to use by making them messengers. So-called war pigeons have carried many vital messages and some have been decorated for their services. Medals such as the Croix de Guerre, awarded to Cher Ami, and the Dickin Medal awarded to the pigeons G.I. Joe and Paddy, amongst 32 others, have been awarded to pigeons for their services in saving human lives.

source

As Cher Ami tried to fly back home, the Germans saw her rising out of the brush and opened fire. After several seconds, she was shot down but managed to take flight again. She arrived back at her loft at division headquarters 25 miles (40 km) to the rear in just 25 minutes, helping to save the lives of the 194 survivors. She had been shot through the breast, blinded in one eye, and had a leg hanging only by a tendon.

Cher Ami was celebrated and became a symbol of freedom and her story resonates with books and popular writing. It was also featured in movies like The Lost Battalion (2001) and Flying Home (2015) which tell the story of the heroic feat of Cher Ami.

While I was getting further on my research, my love-hate relationship with pigeons was replaced with the utmost respect. And I began to realize that their attachment to us humans was deeper than what I thought of them as pets. It was deeply rooted in the long history of their service to the coming of human civilization.

With my new understanding of the history of these domestic pigeons. I came to think that probably the answer to why these birds are here with us, is because we had exploited them for our own benefit. And now that we have modern technology for communication, suddenly these pigeons became out of purpose. With this in mind, I guess my next step is to find out ways on how to appreciate them better and look for solutions that will put them in a better stand and recognition.