You know we’re headed toward the Planet of the Apes when the soldiers salute the monkeys.
The Chinese military has been training monkeys — as well as dogs and falcons — for more than a year to help run birds off airfields.
Each species has a different duty. The dogs scare off the birds by barking, while special ops falcons scoop them up. Meanwhile, the monkeys are busy climbing trees and taking down birds’ nests.
The army uses macaque monkeys, which are especially useful because they leave behind a scent on the trees that ensures the birds won’t come back.
“Using macaque monkeys to disperse birds is low-cost, low-risk and highly efficient,” Han Bing, an air force official, told Central European News. “It’s the first such program in the world.”
The animal military skills will be put to the test this week during the annual Victory Day Parade.
Thursday’s celebration of the 70th anniversary of the end of the Second Sino-Japanese War requires the animals to be out in full force, monitoring the skies to ensure that the military aircraft land safely.