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Reflecting on his passion for pigeon racing, Stevan Gazzola recalls a pivotal piece of advice from his uncle, who nudged him towards this unique hobby. “My uncle got into me that I was chasing the wrong type of birds,” Gazzola reminisces. The fascination took hold deeply, leading him to purchase land solely for the purpose of nurturing his pigeons.
Each year, the competition sees a myriad of pigeons entered from all corners of Australia. Owners pay a $350 entry fee per bird, entrusting Gazzola with their care. He diligently vaccinates, feeds, and trains them, eventually releasing them to race back home from distances as far as 400 kilometers.
Having devoted most of his life to this pastime, Gazzola is now grappling with concerns about its future. He fears that the art and sport of pigeon racing is on the decline, a sentiment that weighs heavily on his heart.
“People from all over Australia send me their baby pigeons,” he explains. After collecting them from the airport, he and his team provide care that includes vaccination, training, and release, ensuring the birds are well-prepared for the races.
Despite the dedication and effort invested, Gazzola is quick to point out that pigeon racing isn’t a lucrative endeavor. The modest winnings from local races are funneled back into maintaining the pigeons’ well-being. “You don’t do this to get rich,” he candidly admits, underscoring the passion-driven nature of the sport.
A sport running out of time
Racers are ageing. Many are on pensions. Keeping birds requires space, money, time, and physical labour — all of which are increasingly scarce.
Stevan Gazzola says there’s a science to breeding pigeons — especially if you want them to be racers. Source: SBS News
“They’re just dying off. There’s no young people joining,” he says. “You put in all the hard work and try to keep it going, but as the guys are getting older. They either die or they give up because they can’t do it anymore.”
“But it is a dying sport. Who wants to sit in their backyard and clean pigeon shit these days?”
Enter: The ‘crazy pigeon lady’
The 26-year-old — and her rainbow coloured hair — started posting videos of herself and pigeons in January and within months, her content went viral.
26-year-old Frill finds and treats ‘stringfoot’ pigeons in the hope of changing people’s perception of the humble bird. Source: Supplied / Instagram / Frill_underscore
“I’m the crazy pigeon lady,” she jokes. “It’s great that everyone is tuning in for the pigeons, but if I’m honest, the hair probably had a lot to do with it.”
“This is likely a thread from a piece of clothing, that’s pretty common,” she says as she destrings one. “A lot of the time, human hair and pet hair can get stuck around their feet, too.”
“Most pigeon racers lose part of their loft every year. They’ll die, or they get lost and join other flocks. It’s very common that they collapse from exhaustion … there’s no benefit for the animal.”
The Animal Justice Party’s Georgie Purcell says the humble pigeon — or ‘rock dove’ — is a misunderstood, intelligent animal. Source: AAP / Diego Fedele
The RSPCA says pigeon racing poses “many welfare risks”, including susceptibility to predation, high physical demands on their bodies, and some birds veering off course and not returning home.
“When the sport is run responsibly with proper health checks, controlled training, safe race routes, and strong oversight, the birds compete in a way that aligns with their natural instincts to fly, navigate, and return home.”
An underrated bird
“As highly sociable animals, pigeons mate for life, and they are a true representation of equal caring responsibilities, with both female and male pigeons working together to raise their young,” Purcell said.
Georgie Purcell says pigeons are the “best example of victims of mankind”, formerly domesticated, then left to their own. Source: Getty / Alwin Sun
Pigeons can count as well as primates, a 2011 study suggested, with a task showing they have the capacity to count from one to nine. However, they’re not quick learners. While monkeys could learn the skill in a couple of months, it took the dear pigeon a year to be trained.
