Pigeon Training Camp

The place we are staying in Agadez isn't really a hotel. We were led here by a stranger in the dark through confusing twisting alleyways. It is called I.R.S.H., which stands for something like Institute for Human Research Studies...maybe. Truthfully, when they led us through the gate that night I was a bit concerned. I mean 'Human Research' sounds a lot like some B-movie lab scene where humans are poked and prodded by nazi uniform wearing freaks until somebody just goes nuts and tears the place up killing the bad guys and saving the mutton fleecin' day. Yeah, so they led us to a nice room beside a toilet room, gave us a good price, and the deal was done. No vintage WW II uniforms to be found anywhere. The next day we were told the facility was actually affiliated with a Nigeran University, and in times past was open for doctoral students to work on their dissertations.  Since Agadez has effectively been locked down and the airport closed, students just do not come anymore. It requires an armed military escort just to get to Agadez - not exactly a garden spot. So with a lack of students to care for, it appears the staff have taken up a couple of new duties: 1. They take in stray white people. 2. The raise and train pigeons. Yes, pigeons. Hundreds of them on the grounds of the Human Research Institute. They have their own house, are free to come and go as they please, are fed and watered daily, are trained to come when a whistle is blown, and (as pigeons do) poo everywhere.  Being somewhat wary of the motivation of this pigeon training camp (see earlier blog post) we asked the purpose of it all. The only reply we received was that the birds are good to eat. We never saw anybody eat one, so we can't really comment on that. Suffice to say if the NSA calls, we'll cooperate.