Some Russian Bread Might Have Pigeon in It
If you’re about to take a bite of toast, pause for a moment. A disturbing video obtained by Russian TV channel Novosti 24 shows a particular grain mill in the city of Kazan in the Russian Republic of Tatarstan with some unlikely visitors. Specifically, a group of pigeons chowing down on what they probably think is a score of a lifetime—which is rapidly approaching its end. The video captures the birds feasting on the pile of grain before one by one being consumed by the machine that crushes the grain to be used in all manner of bread products. It's a little bit unclear what's happening, really—it's possible that the pigeons were saved from their fates, or were filtered out somehow. But the grimmest possibility is at least some Russian breads have a little bit of pigeon in them, which, objectively, is far too much pigeon.
Watch the video, or not. As the old adage goes, you can live your life without having seen a gaggle of innocent pigeons get sucked into a grain mill, or you cannot, and that's OK. (I’ve seen ChickenRun, whichwas enough poultry drama for me, thanks.) Judging from the comments, however, it’s pretty gnarly.
“Some of them seem to intentionally dive right in,” writes one commenter. “It might be worth reviewing the health and safety of that place…” writes another, which, hm, I don’t know. Maybe.
Another person asked how the pigeons even got in there in the first place. Apparently, it’s thanks to open windows. Your next suggestion maybe to close them, but as one commenter puts it, “You need ventilation otherwise the grain silo goes ‘BOOM.’” Noted.
Unfortunately, the rest of the questions don’t really have answers. What brands and foods are specifically affected by this pigeon plague, if they are? Is this just one particular instance, or does this grain mill have an epidemic on their hands? Is this the only mill affected?
Unclear, probably, and probably not, if I had to make some educated guesses. After all, this is just one minute of what might be months of activity, and that’s just pigeons! Russians in Tatarstan: tomorrow morning, maybe opt for a carb-free breakfast?
