A Chinese air force
employee handles the monkeys, who can together dismantle 60
birds' nests a day.
163.com
Monkeys have been trained to clear the skies of the biggest threat to China’s air force at the moment – birds – as Beijing prepares for its massive military parade this week to mark the 70th anniversary of the end of the second world war.
A monkey is put into
action.
163.com
Pictures from July show military personnel instructing monkeys to dismantle the nests of birds on trees at an unspecified air force base used for parade training.
The military base was situated along a migration route for birds, which undermined the safety of the military’s flight training, said trainer Wang Mingzhi, who is responsible for clearing the birds near the base.
Birds can cause severe damage to planes when they collide.
The military staff also
trained eagles to drive other birds out of the
sky.
163.com
“No one can climb trees as tall as 30 metres,” Wang said. “With shotguns, we can blow off only two nests with a box of bullets. If we use water cannon, it would be a waste of water and human resources.”
The officers have five monkeys, who together can dismantle 60 nests a day. The base also trains eagles to drive away other birds.
An officer at an air base shows the eagle in
action.
163.com
Beijing has also banned people from releasing pigeons for half a day on Thursday, when the parade will take place.
Read the original article on South China Morning Post. Copyright 2015. Follow South China Morning Post on Twitter.