HOMING PIGEONS IN BELGIUM

Press, Volume XCII, Issue 27750, 30 August 1955, Page 3

HOMING PIGEONS IN BELGIUM

BIRDS HOVER OVER BRANDY VILLAGE (From a Reuter Correspondent) PARIS. About 2000 homing pigeons released over ’ the famous brandy manufacturing village of Martell Cognac, very nearly upset all the faith which pigeon fanciers have in the ability of pigeons to fly from any spot to their home loft. When these birds were released they hovered hesitatingly in the air and then circled for an unusually long time over the brandy-making factories. The president of the Belgian Pigeon Club said that he had never known any flock take so long to get their direction. First they started off south towards Spain, then they returned to the brandy village and again circled it. Then they flew off towards Switzerland and on to Belgium, which was the direction# they were intended to take.

Mr Martell, an expert on brandy byt uninitiated in the . ways of racing pigeons, discreetly, and a little proudly, suggested that the alcoholic fumes of the village might have affected the birds. The judges, experts on both pigeons and, after their visit to Cognac, experts on brandy as well, were forced to agree with him. The race was from Martell Cognac to Brussels, which is almost the home of pigeon fanciers. Belgians are known as the greatest fanciers of homing-pigeons in the world. Statistics prove that one out of every eight Belgians is fanatical about the sport of pigeon racing, which is . somdfcimes likened to a child’s rubber ball on an elastic string. The breeder takes his birds hundreds of miles away and watches them fly home directly, with lightning speed and a mystical sense of direction. The lore of homing pigeons is fascinating. When the squabs are born, they are registered individually at the Belgian Ministry of War, and each given a special identity card which serves as an international passport. When the bird is 10 days old, a metal band, bearing his serial number is placed on his right leg. As the leg; grows the band becomes permanently fixed, and can never pass over the foot unless it is cut off. The formality of identification is strictly observed. In recent wars, homing pigeons have been used to carry messages. In peacetime, international smugglers have used these birds to transport jewels and tiny packages of dope across the border. Today, if a bird is caught with any contraband strapped underneath his wings, his serial and identity card automatically assures the owner of a prison sentence. Champions Worth £6OO A yearling pigeon born of famous parents is worth about £l6. Homing pigeons have a useful life span, between two and five years. A champion male may be worth up to £6OO. These are racers which have proved their value in all types of weather, over | great distances. Test flights for racing pigeons begin when the birds are a year old, for a sense of matrimonial affection has awakened at the same time. Pigeons make ideal husbands, taking turns on the eggs, defending their nests, and feeding the young after they are hatched until they have learned to fly. This attachment of the male for the female is exploited in pigeon racing. The couple is separated for five days before the race, and on the sixth day ire-united for a few hours before the [male is sent off to the starting point. Females are occasionally used for racing, but males are faster flyers. The males are carried by air or taken on trains to the point where the race is to begin. Once there 1 , they are allowed to rest, are fed and watered for an hour, and then released together. When the birds have reached a sufficient altitude, they circle once over the departure point, and fly straight for home. With a favourable “tail wind” some birds attain a speed of 90 miles an hour. Visibility is also an important factor in speed, since birds can see as far as 10 miles ahead. The first races for young birds are held over short distances of from 50 to 100 miles. Before the pigeon owner, waiting by the cages in his back yard, can see his birds arriving, the females, each in their own little cage, hear the beating of wings. Like cannonballs landing, the males hurtle from the sky direct into their individual nests. The owner then removes a second leg band, affixed specially for each race, and places it in a time clock box, to ascertain the time of arrival and subsequent winner.