Indian police rely on carrier pigeons for communication during disasters.

Police in India's Odisha state are keeping a flock of carrier pigeons for use during disasters when communication links are severed. The state's carrier pigeon service employs more than 100 Belgian Homer pigeons, which can fly at a speed of 55 kph (34 mph) for up to 500 miles (800 km) at a stretch. The pigeons have proved a lifeline at least twice in the last four decades. The pigeons usually carry messages written on lightweight onion paper, inserted into a capsule and then tied to a leg.