Montana Fifth-Grader's Pet Pigeon Pays Her A Visit At School

While pigeons can be a nuisance, they tend to scatter away when humans get too close. However the one encountered by Central-Linc Elementary school principal Vanessa Nasset and teacher Rob Freistadt on May 22nd, was different.

The bird approached the two educators from the back as they were walking outside the school and instead of flying away when the principal screamed, perched itself atop Rob's head and refused to budge. The school officials did everything they could to corral the bird - from trying to lure it into a laundry basket to calling the local police for help, but nothing worked.

After over an hour, a parent who had joined the effort remembered that fifth-grader Tara Atkins had a pet pigeon and decided to call her to help capture the brazen bird.

When the young girl came to the scene, she could not believe her eyes. That's because the stubborn pigeon, who she recognized from its distinct coloring and blue band tied around the leg, was Foresta, her pet bird that had mysteriously disappeared from her yard the day before!

But just as she was about to catch her, the school bell rang. The rushing kids sent the poor bird into a panic causing it to leap from one student to the next.

The drama finally ended when fellow fifth-grader Owen Cleary, managed to throw a blanket over Foresta while she was sitting atop his head!

Tara is thrilled to have her pigeon back. The only thing that is puzzling the family who live in the Elkhorn Mountains near Montana City, is how the bird knew the location of the school, that lies five air miles away in the city of Helena.

That's because the pigeon who has been with the family since she was a baby, has never been brought to town before and had therefore never visited Tara's school, prior to this. While this mystery will probably never be solved, one thing is for sure - Now that Foresta knows where to go, the school can count on more visits from the bird who is legendary for its amazing memory and navigation skills.

Resources: billingsgazette.com, news.yahoo.com