A caretaker releases racing pigeons from their cage on the final day of the pigeon race national championship in Islamabad. PHOTO: AFP/FILE
As the weather took a pleasant turn in the twin-cities, the contesting bird owners gathered atop their roofs to organise a tournament of pigeon racing in Rawalpindi on Friday.
With a grand winning prize of Rs 1.5 million, a large number of participants launched their birds into the sky in hopes of winning first place. But where hundreds of pigeons took to the wide blue yonder at the start of the competition, dozens could never make their way back home.
Speaking about the tournament on conditions of anonymity, a pigeon-keeper associated with the hobby revealed that some 1,500 pigeon-racers participated in the competition which took place yesterday. “Each participant had to deposit Rs10,000 in a bid to compete for the winning sum of Rs 1.5 million; an 800CC car for second place and cash prizes of Rs300,000 and Rs200,000 for third and fourth place respectively,” he told.
According to the pigeon-keeper, thousands of pigeon-racers from various towns climbed their rooftops as early as the wee hours of dawn to compete in the torment which lasted until sunset.
“While the birds struggled to stay in flight, the owners cheered on their racers from the comfort of their roofs. Many of them had gathered with their friends and family and had set up arrangements for food and canopies to protect them from the sun,” said the unnamed keeper.
“It’s quite a popular sport across Punjab but most of the participants competing in yesterday’s tournament belonged to towns like Dhok Rata, Pir Dhuhai, Khayaban Sir Syed, Bagh Sardaran, Tench, Shah Alam Bhatta, Committee Chowk, Dhok Khabba, Dhok Hasso, Dhok Kashmirian, Sadiqabad, Shamsabad, Newtown, Satellite Town, Syedpur Road and Amrapura among others. The committee is still in the process of finalising the winners, but names are to be announced later today” he added.
A young spectator who witnessed the tournament, said that he great fun watching the hundreds of birds swarm the sky. The pigeon owners, he said, spend a lot of time and money preparing their birds for the race and people come from near and far to watch these spectacular birds soar to new heights.
“The tournament committee stamps numbers and colours on the wings of the pigeons flying from each roof, while the winning bird is marked with a separate seal. As with any other tournament, there are teams and supporters in pigeon racing too and enthusiasts keep their eyes peeled to the sky from 05:00 AM to 07:00 PM to witness the last bird flying.”
Cruelty in sports
However, the sport of pigeon-racing, although historic in the subcontinent, is not one free of cruelty.
These birds which spread their wings and take to the sky at the will of their masters, fly not with the objective of crossing over to the finishing line first, but compete in a test of endurance; where the goal is to stay in flight for as long as the animal’s heart can bear.
Where hundreds of pigeons took to the sky on Friday, many lost their lives to heat and exhaustion amid the struggle to remain in flight. “Although a lot of birds fell out of the sky, dozens are yet to make it home. Their owners are still waiting, but if they don’t return to their respective roofs today, there is a strong possibility they will fall prey to predators and never make it back home at all,” the pigeon-keeper told The Express Tribune.
Published in The Express Tribune, June 8th, 2020.
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