They auctioned off a carrier pigeon for 1.6 million euros | the Chronicle

A carrier pigeon a Belgian kennel was awarded this Sunday at an auction to a Chinese buyer at a record price of 1.6 million euros ($ 1.8 million), during a sale organized online by the specialized platform Pigeon Paradise (Pipe).

New Kim, a female from a renowned kennel in region of Antwerp, becomes the most expensive bird of its kind in the world, beating another bird of Flanders, the male Armando, sold 1.25 million euros ($ 1.47 million) in 2019 to the same buyer, whose identity This has not been specified, according to Pipa executives, AFP reported.

“I consider it a world record, there has never been a sale at such a price, which is accredited by an official document”, he told AFP Nikolaas Gyselbrecht, founder and CEO of Pipa.

“I didn’t think we could reach that amount. [el comprador] she will want to mate her with men “He added, pointing out that this female came from a prestigious line.

At two years old, New Kim, whose starting price was 200 euros ($ 237), is already a regular at pigeon races.

In 2018, ganó el título of “Ace Pigeon National Grand Middle-Distance Pigeonneaux” thanks, above all, to its performance in two competitions in France, according to the curriculum posted on the internet by Pipa.

Elite European pigeons have become more and more famous around the world in recent years, especially in China, where pigeon racing can bring in huge profits.

The interest of wealthy buyers, from Asia or the Gulf countries, triggered the prices of these “champions”, whose action consists in returning first to the nest, instinctively, after having sometimes traveled hundreds of kilometers.

Pigeons, breeding and training of carrier pigeons, It is a tradition deeply rooted in Belgium, as well as in the Netherlands or in the north of France..

It was considered to be in decline, before experiencing a resurgence thanks in part to these speculative purchases.

According to Gyselbrecht, Belgium has around 20,000 dovecotes intended for high-level competitions.

New Kim was trained at the Gaston and Kurt Van De Wouwer kennels in Berlaar, near Antwerp. On Sunday, the two breeders, father and son, sold their entire “colony”.