Australian authorities may kill a sports pigeon from the United States that crossed the Pacific Ocean due to the quarantine threat. Reported on Thursday, January 14, the Associated Press.
A dove in an emaciated state on December 26 was found on his site by a resident of the suburb of Melbourne Kevin Selly-Bird. It was later revealed that the bird disappeared from pigeon races in the United States on October 29.
According to experts, the pigeon, which the finder named Joe in honor of the elected President of the United States Joe Biden, could get to Australia by cargo ship, having covered a distance of 13 thousand km.
The story of the bird’s journey soon appeared on the pages of the Australian media, and the Australian quarantine and inspection service also became interested in the pigeon. Soon Selly-Byrd received a call from the department with a request to catch the bird.
“They said that if the pigeon came from America, then they have concerns about diseases that the birds can carry,” – said the Australian.
The man replied that Joe would not let the man get close. In this regard, the quarantine inspectorate is considering the possibility of concluding a contract with a professional bird catcher.
The Department of Agriculture said the pigeon could not remain in Australia as it could jeopardize Australia’s food security and local wild bird populations.
At the end of October, it became known that birds and mammals are carriers of up to 850 thousand viruses, which can potentially take the form of pandemics.