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Australian authorities plan to kill an American homing pigeon that managed to survive a massive 8,000 mile journey across the Pacific.
Kevin Celli-Bird said Thursday the exhausted bird arrived in his Melbourne yard on December 26 and discovered he went missing from a run in Oregon on October 29. The exploit first gained local media attention before the Australian Quarantine and Inspection Service became aware, according to Sky News.
“They say if it’s from America, then they’re concerned about bird diseases,” Celli-Bird said. “They wanted to know if I could help them. I said, ‘To be honest, I can’t catch it. I can get within 20 inches and then it moves. “”
A carrier pigeon sits on a rooftop in Melbourne, Australia on Wednesday The carrier pigeon, first spotted in late December 2020, made an extraordinary 8,000 mile Pacific Ocean crossing between the United States and Australia . (AP / Channel 9)
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He added that the quarantine authorities are now considering contracting a professional bird catcher in their quest to curb and euthanize the bird.
The Department of Agriculture, which is responsible for biosecurity, says the pigeon is “not allowed to stay in Australia” because it “could jeopardize Australia’s food security and our wild bird populations.”
“This poses a direct biosecurity risk to Australian birds and our poultry industry,” a ministry statement said.
Experts suspect that the pigeon Celli-Bird named Joe, named after America’s president-elect, hitchhiked on a freighter to cross the Pacific.
Experts suspect that the pigeon hitchhiked on a freighter to cross the Pacific. (AP / Channel 9)
Celli-Bird said the Oklahoma-based American Racing Pigeon Union confirmed that Joe was registered with an owner in Montgomery, Ala.
Celli-Bird said he tried to contact the owner but has so far been unable to get through.
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The bird spends daily in the yard, sometimes sitting side by side with a native dove on a pergola. Celli-Bird gives him pigeon food a few days after his arrival.
“I think he just decided that since I gave him food and he has a place to drink, it’s his home,” he said.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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