Name: Intercontinental pigeon could be spared death row after its identity bracelet believed false
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Intercontinental pigeon could be spared death row after its identity bracelet believed false

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'Intercontinental pigeon' spared death row after authorities announce it is actually AustralianWe’re sorry, this feature is currently unavailable. We’re working to restore it. Please try again later.DismisscloseAdvertisementBy Log in, or to save articles for later.Normal text sizeLarger text sizeVery large text sizeAdvertisementThe racing pigeon from the United States to Melbourne has been spared death row after quarantine officials announced it is "highly likely" the bird is actually Australian.Victorian resident Kevin Celli-Bird discovered the exhausted and emaciated pigeon, whom he named "Joe" after US President-elect Joe Biden, in his backyard in Officer, south-east of Melbourne, on Boxing Day.This week, Australian quarantine authorities asked Mr Celli-Bird to catch Joe and hand him over to be killed, amid fears the bird might be carrying a disease such as avian influenza, fowl typhoid or pigeon paramyxovirus."Humane destruction of the bird is the best safeguard for Australian poultry and wildlife," the Agriculture Department said in a statement. "Protecting the health of Australian bird populations against potentially devastating losses to disease remains the department’s top priority."But on Friday evening, the department issued another statement, noting its investigation had concluded that "Joe the Pigeon is highly likely to be Australian and does not present a biosecurity risk"."The department is satisfied that the bird’s leg band is a fraudulent copy of a legitimate leg band. No further action will be taken by the department in relation to this matter," the statement said.The death sentence had earlier been thrown into doubt after American Racing Pigeon Union spokeswoman Deone Roberts said the racing tag attached to the pigeon's leg – which had originally been traced back to Montgomery, Alabama – was forged.It was initially thought the pigeon had been in a race in Alabama on October 29, but that it never made it to the finish line, instead flying thousands of kilometres to the Officer backyard, possibly having hitched a ride on a ship across the Pacific.AdvertisementMs Roberts told Nine News that, upon investigation, she believed the "band is counterfeit"."The bird's home is in Australia somewhere, not the US," she said. "This has been confirmed with the race handler who had the pigeon AU 2020 ARPU 5622, which is in fact a blue bar homing pigeon, not the bird you see in the photographs, which is white."If true, this could be a lifeline for the pigeon," the pigeon's rescuer said. "If Joe is in fact Australian, there should be no reason to put him down. Maybe we should have called it Donald and we could have appealed to the President to give it a pardon or diplomatic immunity."Before the apparent case of mistaken identity was revealed, Joe the pigeon had attracted the support of Victorian Health Minister Martin Foley, who called for "a little bit of compassion", and Animal Justice Party MP Andy Meddick, who urged the federal government to "take Joe off death row".The Agriculture Department, which is responsible for biosecurity, later put out a statement saying it was "still working to determine" the authenticity of the racing tag."The department has sought to immediately isolate and assess the bird and is seeking the urgent cooperation of the member of the public who discovered the pigeon."That assessment is essential to confirm the facts of this incident and determine the risks posed to Australian bird life," its statement said.Mr Celli-Bird said he understood their reasoning. "But I also can't understand why they can't quarantine the bird."with Georgina MitchellOur Morning Edition newsletter is a curated guide to the most important and interesting stories, analysis and insights. Sign up&nbsp;.Log in, or to save articles for later.Advertisement

'Intercontinental pigeon' spared death row after authorities announce it is actually AustralianWe’re sorry, this feature is currently unavailable. We’re working to restore it. Please try again later.DismisscloseAdvertisementBy Log in, or to save articles for later.Normal text sizeLarger text sizeVery large text sizeAdvertisementThe racing pigeon from the United States to Melbourne has been spared death row after quarantine officials announced it is "highly likely" the bird is actually Australian.Victorian resident Kevin Celli-Bird discovered the exhausted and emaciated pigeon, whom he named...

Intercontinental pigeon could be spared death row after its identity bracelet believed false

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