Animal rights group People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) yesterday urged Taiwanese authorities to investigate the pigeon racing industry, which it said costs the lives of 1.5 million birds a year.
“We are calling on the police to protect these peaceful, home-loving birds by investigating all violations of the laws associated with pigeon racing and prosecuting the guilty parties,” PETA said in a statement after filing a complaint with police this month.
PETA said a five-month investigation it carried out in Taiwan found that races “often proved fatal” for pigeons that were released hundreds of kilometers offshore and forced to fly home.
Photo: AFP
“Thousands of young birds die in each race when they are swept under water by waves or succumb to exhaustion before reaching land and drown because they cannot rest on water,” said a PETA investigator, who asked not to be named.
Pigeons were also forced to race with untreated injuries, while not properly rested or in extreme weather. Sometimes they are killed if they return late, PETA added.
More than 30,000 Taiwanese pigeon breeders race about 2 million pigeons each year, of which an estimated 1.5 million die, PETA said.
Photo: CNA
“Taiwan’s pigeon-racing industry is the most extreme, most deadly and most crime-ridden in the world,” PETA spokeswoman Ashley Fruno said. The sport is popular in Taiwan but has been linked to illegal gambling.
Taiwanese media estimated that pigeon racing was worth NT$70 billion (US$2.3 billion) and has existed for more than 60 years. Criminal activity linked to the sport such as extortion, race fixing and kidnapping pigeons for ransom have been reported in the local media.
The National Police Agency said it would look into PETA’s concerns.
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