Bird in Australia could escape death as ‘US leg band’ comes under scrutiny

The authenticity of a little blue band on Joe the pigeon’s leg is all that separates him from death

Authorities said Joe may have been a racing bird that crossed the Pacific Ocean, but one US bird group says the band is a ‘counterfeit’

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Joe the pigeon is seen perched on Kevin Celli-Bird’s rooftop in Melbourne. Photo: Channel 9 via AP

Published: 12:45pm, 15 Jan 2021Updated: 5:00pm, 15 Jan 2021

A pigeon that Australia declared a possible biosecurity risk may escape death after the authenticity of its leg band identifying it as a US racing bird was thrown in doubt.

The blue band suggested the bird found in a Melbourne backyard on December 26 was a racing pigeon that had left the US state of Oregon two months earlier.

On that basis, Australian authorities on Thursday said they considered the bird a disease risk and planned to kill it.

“Humane destruction of the bird is the best safeguard for Australian poultry and wildlife,” Australia’s Agriculture Department said in a statement.

“If Joe has come in a way that has not met our strict biosecurity measures, then bad luck, Joe,” Deputy Prime Minister Michael McCormack told reporters. “Either fly home or face the consequences.”

But Deone Roberts, sport development manager for the Oklahoma-based American Racing Pigeon Union, said the band was “counterfeit”.

A blue band is all that comes between Joe and his life. Photo: Channel 9 via AP