The police department of Huaian City, eastern China’s Jiangsu province, arrested a 52-year-old thief who has been stealing chickens for 20 years. This was the ninth time he went to jail for stealing chickens. But this time he confessed: chickens are all very cooperative in front of him because he understands their language. 

On Sept. 16 this year, 21 chickens of a villager surnamed Cui on Xuliu Town of Huaiyin District all went missing during the night. Cui said she did not even hear a thing. After the police started investigating, more chickens were stolen in Xuliu. A man surnamed Jiang who had been in prison for stealing chicken was considered the prime suspect.

Jiang was just released from prison in August. He confessed that he already committed over 20 thefts totalling over 10,000 yuan. This will be the ninth time Jiang gets sentenced for stealing chickens, which he has been doing for the past 20 years. “Every time I stole chicken, they would not make any noise because I know their language,” revealed Jiang at the police department. Most of the village chickens are raised outside, another reason that Jiang could easily perform theft.