Most Expensive Race Pigeon

Most Expensive Race Pigeon is named after the Olympic gold-winning Jamaican sprinter Usian Bolt and it’s worth so much because he was bred by the celebrated Belgian pigeon fancier Leo Heremans.You want to know how much it costs? Keep reading and you’ll be amazed.

 

In 2012, Bolt was the swiftest pigeon in Belgium, where racing rules are especially strict.

This Most Expensive Race Pigeon was acquired by a Chinese shipping magnate at a whopping $328,000 and that is why is the most expensive race pigeon ever sold, according to the international pigeon distributor that coordinated the auction.

Bolt was eventually released together with 400 of his friends, but approximately  1,200 racing pigeons are still captive because of a dispute over import duties and because they had to pay for his transport around €75,000.
The Chinese shipbuilding company told PIPA (self-proclaimed largest meeting place for pigeon fanciers) the purchase marked their first step toward getting more involved in the world of pigeon racing.
The racing sport it says to have a cult following in European nations, several famous people from Queen Elizabeth II to Pablo Picasso, have been known to keep racing pigeons.

‘The Chinese know there is one big economic advantage with pigeons,’ said Yi Manna, chief of the PIPA pigeon auction house which organizes sales in Belgium. ‘A bottle of wine remains one bottle. You have a nice pigeon and it will have more children, grandchildren.’
Bolt is believed to be the fastest pigeon in Europe.
It’s true that whispering to the pigeons creates a bond and encourages them to fly faster in a race so they have a motive to get home quicker.
Bolt won the Belgian sprint title last year, an achievement which put him in the Usain Bolt class. Previously the world’s most expensive race pigeon price for a single bird, barely a pound of feathers, stood at 250,400 Euros which was paid in Belgium last year. The sport has always been popular in Belgium, achieving great popularity in the mid 19th Century.

Pigeon racing involves releasing specially trained pigeons which then return to their homes over measured distance. It requires a specific breed of pigeon, called the ‘Racing Homer’.
But even if the sport moves farther out of obscurity and into the public spotlight, at more than $300,000 per bird, it’s not likely too many people will be flocking to participate.
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