Australia to kill pigeon that crossed Pacific from Oregon

[douglas9]

5. Update 1.15.2021

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But on Friday, information suddenly emerged that may give the bird a reprieve: Joe may not be an American pigeon after all.

A local pigeon rescue group said on Facebook that it had seen plenty of local birds wearing the same type of band found on Joe’s leg. “We believe he is not an American pigeon at all — rather an Australian pigeon wearing a knockoff American ring that anyone could buy off eBay,” the organization said.

A spokeswoman for the American Racing Pigeon Union also said that Joe’s band was probably a counterfeit and that he was in all likelihood an Australian pigeon, according to The Associated Press.

The Department of Agriculture said it was “investigating the authenticity of the U.S. identification tag.”


https://www.nytimes.com/2021/01/15/world/australia/joe-pigeon.html