Meet Armando, the US$1.4 million racing pigeon that had two Chinese locked into a bidding war
Meet Armando, a racing pigeon which has been bought after a two-week online auction for a world-record US$1.4 million.
Yes, you heard it right – two Chinese bird racing enthusiasts took part in a bidding war for the bird, which reached a sum of US$603,000 before that figure was topped by the final winning bid.
Described as “the Lewis Hamilton of pigeons” before the auction, Armando proudly carries the title of Belgium’s “best long distance bird of all time”.
Part of a flock of 178 pigeons that sold for US$2.7 million, the flock also includes seven of his Armando’s offspring.
Joël Verschoot, 63, a retired abattoir manager from Ingelmunster in West Flanders, who sold Armando, said he was aware that two Chinese enthusiasts were keen to buy the pigeon, “but I didn’t see this coming”.
He says: “I [have] spent 12 hours a day working with the pigeons since taking up the hobby.
“This is a crowning glory of all those years in the pigeon sport: the icing on the cake.”
Pigeons have an average lifespan of only six years. So Armando, who is reportedly five years old, is nearing retirement age.
This [sale] is a crowning glory of all those years in the pigeon sport: the icing on the cake
The prized bird, who is said to have great direction and strength, is believed to have been bought for breeding with a hen.
Pigeon racing in China is taken very seriously.
Jiangming Liu, a representative in China of PIPA, the pigeon racing news and online trading website, which organised the auction, says he had anticipated a high bid, but is astonished by the seven-figure bid.
The US$1.4 million price topped the previous record of US$427,000, PIPA says.
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Bidding war between two Chinese rivals sends price soaring for the five-year old Armando, who has been bought for breeding