A pigeon declared a biosecurity risk after flying to Melbourne from the United States may get a reprieve after an American bird organisation declared its identifying leg band was fake.
Joe, a pigeon that Australia declared a biosecurity risk, has received a reprieve after a U.S. bird organization declared its identifying leg band was fake.
Jan 15, 2021
In this Wednesday image made from video, a pigeon with a blue leg band stands on a rooftop in Melbourne, Australia. A U.S. bird organization said the leg band identifying the bird as a U.S. racing pigeon was counterfeit, which may save the bird from strict Australian biosecurity policies that would call for a U.S. pigeon to be killed. (Channel 9 via AP, File)
CANBERRA, Australia (AP) A pigeon that Australia declared a biosecurity risk has received a reprieve after a U.S. bird organization declared its identifying leg band was fake.
The band suggested the bird found in a Melbourne backyard on Dec. 26 was a racing pigeon that had left the U.S. state of Oregon, 13,000 kilometers (8,000 miles) away, two months earlier.