Labor of love as owner watches to see if his birds can go the distance

On the afternoon of Oct 1, 70,000 pigeons were released at about the same time into the sky over Tian'anmen Square, followed by 70,000 colorful balloons, to celebrate the 70th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China.

Vast crowds witnessed the magnificent spectacle along with a huge television audience.

Ma Jiakun, 21, was proud that 50 of her father's pigeons were among those chosen to be released, and she posted her thoughts online.

She said she never expected her Sina Weibo post to attract attention, but soon dozens of netizens had commented on it.

They were not only curious for details of how the pigeons joined the celebrations, but were also worried that two of her father's birds had still to make it home.

Ma, a fourth-year student at a Beijing university, said: "The post was just to express my feelings. As netizens wanted to know more about homing pigeons, I posted some photos of my father's birds.

"Raising homing pigeons is a laborious job and my father does it year in, year out. For him, these online comments are like public approval as well as encouragement."

She said her father, Ma Chunwang, 48, started to raise homing pigeons in 2005. At first, the family thought it was a trivial pursuit, but eventually warmed to it.

On Oct 1, her father was watching as his pigeons arrived at the family home, about 12 kilometers from Tian'anmen Square. The times taken by the birds for the journey ranged from 15 minutes to three hours.

In 2009, he joined the celebrations in Tian'anmen Square when pigeons were released to mark the 60th anniversary of the founding of New China. All 80 of his birds returned home.

"It's an obligation that we can't shirk. For Beijingers, it's also about bringing credit to our motherland," he said.

Ma Chunwang grew fond of pigeons as a child, but was only able to raise them years later when he became financially independent.

"Raising homing pigeons is a bittersweet experience," he said.

He relaxes when he sees his pigeons return home after long-distance flights. He also releases them from home, and watches them fly in the nearby area one or two hours.

He said each pigeon has its own character, and some become quite attached to him, flying to his shoulder or hand. He often observes their movements and checks their droppings to make sure they are healthy.

He added that more pigeon races are now being staged than before. Some professionals make money from race bonuses but they have "to put energy and money into it".

"No pain, no gain. If you want to do well in a race, you need to train the birds constantly. It's strenuous and time-consuming," he said.

He recently got up at 3:30 am, drove for 150 km before releasing his pigeons at dawn and driving home.

Local pigeon associations organize regular training sessions for the birds. Staff members drive trucks to take the pigeons to release sites. Sometimes, Ma Chunwang hands his pigeons to them for release, paying a fee of 1.50 yuan (21 cents) for each.

"I've sharpened up over the years. You need to have patience to clean the pigeon loft twice a day and train the birds. I also get some exercise by doing this," he said.

"Insiders often say that a homing pigeon will always return home unless it dies. It's true - if the pigeons are healthy."

He is concerned about his two missing pigeons, but concedes that this is commonplace. The birds can disappear due to bad weather or if they become injured, such as by flying into poles.

Jiao Xiaolei, from Handan, Hebei province, recently set up a Sina Weibo account to advise people who rescue an injured pigeon how to take care of the bird and trace the owner.

If the bird has taken part in a race, Jiao can track the owner through the pigeon's leg ring number.

If the owner lives in a nearby province, he suggests the person who has rescued the bird release it when it has recovered, as it will know its way home. Pigeons can also be taken to Jiao, and he will contact the owner.

"Many races are staged over 500 km, and the race season is in spring and autumn. Some pigeons get lost during long-distance races, but I hope they will finally come home as the owners will be worried about them," Jiao said.

(China Daily Global 10/25/2019 page2)