Modern Mysteries

Mystery as thousands of pigeons disappear

By T.K. Randall
June 29, 2021

Image: AI-generated (Midjourney) Officials were left flummoxed on June 19th when ten thousand pigeons failed to show up at their destination after leaving Peterborough on a routine flight that should have taken just two hours.

"The pigeons were taking part in short races, and most should have been home in a couple of hours," said Ian Evans, chief executive of the Royal Pigeon Racing Association (RPRA).

"But at a time when we would expect more than 90 per cent home, we only had 10 per cent home."

"We are looking at magnetic field activity, but at the moment there has been no credible explanation as to what happened. We are still scratching our heads."

As the days went on, a small number of the pigeons started showing up all over the place.

Some were found in West Cork, Ireland, while others seemed to be exhibiting unusual scratches. There have even been sightings of the birds as far away as Majorca.

"I've had pigeons for 36 years, and I have never known anything like it," said Evans.

"Something might have happened 50 or 60 years ago, when weather forecasting was not as good, but with the weather forecasting available now, it is unprecedented in modern pigeon racing."

Source: ITV.com

Tags: Pigeon