RANST, Belgium (AP) — Belgium’s as soon as pastoral pastime of pigeon racing has come to this: Drones swoop over lofts the place priceless birds are housed to search for safety weaknesses, laser sensors set off alarms at night time and cameras linked stay to cellular apps maintain potential thieves at bay — 24/7.
That’s what occurs when the fast-flying fowl — which in a bygone period had been, at finest, the toast of native bars — have was priceless commodities. The most costly hen to return out of the highest pigeon-racing nation on this planet fetched 1.6 million euros ($1.65 million) just a few years in the past.
No marvel the game is grappling with an unprecedented wave of unsolved pigeon pilfering that has hit a number of of the most effective birds within the enterprise.
This winter season is “excessive,” Pascal Bodengien, the top of the Belgian Pigeon Racing Federation, informed The Related Press. “Not every week goes by and not using a theft someplace.”
In a single loft, an estimated 100,000 euros ($102,900) value of pigeons had been stolen final week. General, no arrests have been made. Costs per hen, mentioned Bodengien, “can range from 1,000 to 100,000 euros … and that’s what they’re after.”
Precise statistics on losses are sometimes not obtainable as a result of the reporting and police investigations usually are not centralized.
The emotional loss usually weighs heaviest of all. The game includes day by day care, over many years, and the rustling of feathers mixed with the tranquil cooing usually offers breeders a haven of peace of their in any other case bustling lives together with a measure of pleasure if their birds are winners.
Frans Bungeneers is a breeder of champions. He began at age 8 and continues to be going robust in his 60s. His life bought one in every of its greatest jolts in November 2016 when thieves broke into his backyard shed and took away nearly all his prime pigeons in a heist of some 60 total.
“It was such an unbelievable blow for me. I can inform you truthfully, I cried like just a little boy as a result of my life’s work was fully destroyed,” Bungeneers mentioned outdoors his loft the place he needed to restart his breeding and racing nearly from scratch. “I used to be — I used to be damaged,” he mentioned. “If in case you have these successes and people birds are then taken away. You realize that it takes years.”
He by no means bought his birds again, despite the fact that the thieves had been caught in Romania and convicted in Belgium. He by no means noticed the 400,000 euros ($410,000) in damages he was awarded as a result of the criminals had been dominated bancrupt. It makes this winter’s string of high-profile theft all of the extra poignant since he is aware of what it means to every of the house owners.
For pigeons taken in a heist, their racing careers are over. With out correct documentation, one can not get away with profitable a giant race and never be double- and triple-checked. That door is closed to thieves. The birds can’t be taken to public sale, the place costs for prime birds commonly veer into the 5 figures and typically into six figures.
“The one choice open to them is breeding. They can not take it anyplace, they can not go to China, so we suspect that they’re going to the Japanese Bloc international locations,” as was the case with Bungeneers’ birds, mentioned Bodengien. Nonetheless, with no clear lead on the market, other than some grainy infrared video and different sketchy info, “nobody actually has an total view on it.”
Bungeneers, who was a police officer till his retirement final 12 months, decries the dearth of total, joint investigations and the truth that usually the expensive pigeons are seen in the identical mild as runaway poultry and obtain the identical stage of investigation. He mentioned it was like evaluating a farm pony to a champion thoroughbred.
“I keep in mind a colleague of mine who went into the prosecutor’s workplace and the Justice of the Peace mentioned: ‘gents, what are we going to do? Begin prosecuting the theft of chickens, rabbits and pigeons?’”
So now, the pigeon-racing federation is warning its members to be further cautious — to the purpose of not speaking to strangers about their pastime.
“For those who see that one thing is going on round the home or across the coops, or see automobiles that don’t actually belong there, instantly be aware down the license plate, take photographs, and presumably name the police,” mentioned Bodengien. “It’s actually a name that we have to do one thing about this.”
However for Bungeneers that can also be an indication {that a} lifestyle is being misplaced. As a substitute of the bliss of watching their birds swoop overhead, house owners have to observe warily over their shoulder to see if somebody is close to the loft.
“Cameras, sensors, alarms. On a regular basis, once you go someplace you must take a look at your app to test the cameras,” he mentioned. “If there’s an alarm, or typically the alarm detection goes off and also you go test the sheds. And that provides you turmoil.”
“It’s a must to make investments hundreds of euros in your individual pastime to maintain potential thieves away,” he added. “For many individuals, that’s an excessive amount of they usually drop out.”
