Carrier pigeons have been a thing for centuries; from serving heroically in the first and second world war by carrying military messages to relaying "news of the conquest of Gaul to Rome," they played an important part in history.
Now, in the day and age of technologically driven deliveries, homing pigeons were replaced with drones, scooters, and even robots. Except that one Khaleeji online fashion retailer thought of things differently. They decided that having eagles deliver packages to clients seemed more feasible and appealing.
Earlier this week, Namshi, a Gulf-based e-retailer, announced they've trained 50 eagles to deliver orders in the UAE and Saudi Arabia.
The company wants to take things to a whole new level with ultra speedy, three-hour deliveries made by birds.
According to Al Bayan newspaper, the company's management said the new groundbreaking service has been in the works for nine months.
In a statement to press, they explained that top world trainers have been working with eagles, training them to deliver parcels in the region.
One of them is a bird named "Habibi," who has already completed over 150 hours of flight time within the UAE, making him the leader of the fleet.
Namshi's fleet of eagles can fly at speeds of up to 390km per hour, carrying packages of 500g or less, and are set to deliver orders in half the time it used to take to send them out.
In case you were wondering, it isn't an April Fool's prank
As news of the service made the rounds online, some social media users refused to believe it and thought Namshi was playing an early April Fool's joke on its customers.
One customer tweeted at them, saying: "This is your April Fool's lie; it's lame."
In their response to the tweep, the e-retailer refuted the claim, and its managers are adamant that their eagle delivery service is legit.
"It's not a lie, dear Ameen," they wrote back.
Many had it in mind it's a joke
"Is this an eagle or carrier pigeon?"
"In the age of drones, Namshi contracted a group of eagles for delivery"
"I receive the package while wearing gloves or what?"
"Hogwarts"
"What's the solution if the weight could break the eagle?"
"Aunty Abir: You'll need a helicopter to carry all your things."
Namshi is having fun watching its clients get confused
"Namshi (walking) is now flying."
The horror ????
"Don't forget to give the eagle a phone to check the location of the house"
Editor's Note: Namshi has since announced that the news is in fact an April Fool's prank.