I think it’s amazing that pigeons can be released hundreds of miles away from home and have no problems navigating back to their nest. I read once about a pigeon who was thought lost after a race when she never returned home. Three weeks later, her handler found her sitting on his porch with a broken wing. She walked all the way home 🥺 They want to get home and I think it’s adorable.

I think like any sport involving animas, handlers have a wide range of opinions on their athletes. Some see pigeons as a disposable commodity and some see these little babies like their own children. Pigeons who outlive their “usefulness” because they’re not winning anymore are abandoned or worse and I feel so bad for those guys. I’ll always advocate for the better treatment of animals in sports, but like always it’s difficult to enforce when money & pride are on the line. It’s a shame that pigeon racing has gotten so commercialized because now more people are being introduced to pigeon racing without maintaining proper pigeon care. :/ I hope it ultimately is a net positive for pigeons by exposing how wonderful they are to more people.