Pigeons return home after taking part in V-Day celebrations

Pigeons have returned home after they were released at the commemorative event marking the 80th anniversary of the victory in the Chinese People's War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression and the World Anti-Fascist War in Beijing on Wednesday.

For many breeders, the event was a source of pride. "The greatest pleasure of raising pigeons is hoping that our pigeons can fly in Tian'anmen Square. It's a supreme honor," Zhang Zhigang, a Beijing pigeon enthusiast, said in an interview with China Central Television.

Another participant, identified only by his surname Yang, said 40 of his pigeons took part. The fastest bird flew the 25 kilometers back to his home in just 20 minutes, and by 18:00 Wednesday, all had returned, Jiupai News reported.

Yang said he had trained and fed the pigeons daily in preparation. He said he was not worried about them losing their way, as homing pigeons "navigate through magnetic fields and generally don't get lost".

Sun Peng, the secretary-general of the Beijing pigeon association, said these 80,000 pigeons are from the members of the association, People's Daily reported.

After being released, local residents in Beijing found some pigeons that had strayed on roads, but some believed that the birds might have been stopping to rest.