The tranquil world of Belgian pigeon racing has been thrust into the 21st century, facing an unprecedented wave of thefts that has forced breeders to adopt cutting-edge security measures, The Associated Press reports.
Once a humble pastime enjoyed in local bars, the sport has become a high-stakes game with pigeons now fetching prices that rival luxury cars.
The shift began when racing pigeons became incredibly valuable commodities, with the most expensive bird selling for a staggering 1.6 million euros ($1.65 million). This surge in value has unfortunately triggered a spree of audacious thefts targeting some of the most prized birds in the business.
Pascal Bodengien, head of the Belgian Pigeon Racing Federation, described the situation as “extreme” this winter. Lofts are now being targeted with significant losses. One recent heist saw an estimated 100,000 euros ($102,900) worth of pigeons vanish from a single location. Despite the scale of these thefts, no arrests have been made. Bodengien explained that individual pigeon values “can vary from 1,000 to 100,000 euros.”
The lack of centralized reporting and investigations means that precise statistics on losses are often unavailable. However, the emotional toll on breeders is immense. Pigeon racing often involves decades of dedicated care and the birds provide a source of peace and pride for enthusiasts.
Frans Bungeneers, a seasoned champion breeder who started at age 8, experienced firsthand the devastating impact of these thefts in November 2016. Thieves broke into his property and stole around 60 of his best pigeons. Although the criminals were eventually caught in Romania and convicted in Belgium, Bungeneers never recovered his birds and never received the 400,000 euros ($410,000) in damages he was awarded as the thieves were declared insolvent.
For the stolen birds, the racing career is over. Without proper documentation, they are ineligible to compete and would be heavily scrutinized. They cannot be sold at auction, where top birds regularly command prices in the tens or even hundreds of thousands of euros.
To combat these increasing thefts, breeders are going high-tech. Drones now patrol above lofts, searching for security vulnerabilities. Laser sensors trigger alarms at night, and live camera feeds, linked to mobile apps, provide constant monitoring.
