Shock in Europe for the loss of 20,000 pigeons during an international race: ’emotional and financial drama’

Shock in the bird world after About 20,000 pigeons will not reach the finish line During a race this week between the French city of Narbonne and the Belgian city of Liege. The animals had to travel a little over a thousand kilometers but the vast majority of them got lost on the way. Some of them are found in Germany.

The Belgian Pigeons Association explained this 26,149 birds started the race Last Friday from the south of France, almost above the shores of the Mediterranean, but quickly became disorientated by storms, high temperatures and headwinds.

“Since it has not rained for a long time, if they find no canal or a small pond, if they can find no water, they are weary and die of thirst.”Fan Jean-Pierre Senzi explained to RTL. However, if they manage to hydrate, it is likely that, over time, they will end up returning to their lofts.

It is strange that after several days Some pigeon species have been seen in western Germany. The Belgian Federation of Pigeons published a statement clarifying the facts and attributing the responsibility to the organizer of the race in Liege for releasing the birds despite the bad weather, as well as for the lack of communication between the two parties.

Pascal Buddingen, president of the union, explained to public radio VRT who – which What happened “is an emotional drama, a financial drama, it’s very sad.” Belgian Luc Henri, for his part, entered 87 from his pigeons in the competition, but only 36 returned on Tuesday, when he made a statement to French radio station RTBF: “The pigeons had no chance.”

In the midst of the accusations, it was Francine Lagiot who played the role of spokesperson for the organizers: “At 7:20 (on Friday) the pigeons were released in the presence of 40 people. Soon they took a good turn north. We are very saddened by the failure to achieve the expected result and the due return of our birds. Our biggest wish is for all bird fanciers to see pigeons back in their loftHe explained that the competition could not be delayed any longer due to the expected bad weather, and insisted on the other hand that the procedure was carried out with the approval and support of the French Ministry of Sports and all concerned parties.

To avoid similar episodes, the Belgian Federation Plans to work with webcams in the future, information from pigeon fanciers based in each county raced through and with a meteorologist, according to public radio and television RTBF. Something like this happens, for example, in organized races in South Africa, where prizes are hundreds of thousands of dollars for the winners.

In Belgium there is a great interest in pigeon racing, and in addition to racing, important pigeon racing auctions are held. in 2019, A 2.5-year-old bluish woman with a rich history of victories called New Kim broke the public sale record with 1.6 million euros. Paid by a Chinese collector.

With information from EFE

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