As Bets Climb, Thousands of Birds Never Make It Home, Many Deliberately Killed
For Immediate Release:
May 1, 2012
Contact:
David Perle 202-483-7382
Clarksburg, W.Va. — A just-completed PETA investigation of pigeon racing spanning many states, including West Virginia, reveals rampant illegal gambling in violation of state and federal laws—including the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act, felony gambling laws, and tax laws—to the tune of $200,000 or more in stakes per race. Part of PETA's investigation centered on the Bronx Homing Pigeon Club (BHPC), which transported pigeons from the Bronx in New York to Clarksburg, where they were released on two occasions in October 2010. PETA's investigators documented that race organizers discussed how they conceal their illegal betting activities from the authorities. PETA has turned its evidence over to the Harrison County prosecuting attorney and the U.S. attorney general and called on them to open criminal investigations.
"Pigeon racing is a cruel enterprise driven by money, but the birds pay the ultimate price," says general counsel to PETA Jeff Kerr. "These clubs kill off birds by the thousands, and they are transporting pigeons into the state for illegal gambling right under the noses of law-enforcement officials in Harrison County and the state of West Virginia."
PETA's investigators documented the transport and release of thousands of birds from hundreds of miles away and accumulated evidence that in many races, more than 60 percent of the birds never make it back to their lofts or mates because of extreme weather, raptors, electric lines, foul play, and exhaustion. Out of the 1,294 pigeons released from Clarksburg for the October 9, 2010, BHPC race alone, only 293 birds reportedly made it back by nightfall. Birds who return but who consistently finish out of the money are typically killed by suffocation, drowning, or manual decapitation. One racer told PETA's investigators that when starting out in pigeon racing, "The first thing you have to learn—how to kill pigeons."
For more information, please visit PETA.org.
