Joe the Pigeon facts for kids
Joe the Pigeon
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| Species | Domestic pigeon |
|---|---|
| Breed | Turkish tumbler |
| Sex | Male |
| Nation from | Australia |
| Named after | Joe Biden |
Joe the Pigeon is a tumbler pigeon discovered in Melbourne, Australia. He was named after Joe Biden, who was about to become the President of the United States at the time. People first thought Joe had flown an amazing 13,000 kilometres (8,100 mi) (about 8,000 miles) all the way from Oregon in the US to Melbourne in December 2020.
This idea came from a leg ring Joe wore. It seemed to match a racing pigeon that had gone missing from Oregon. However, it was later discovered that the leg ring was not real. Because of worries about diseases, Joe was initially going to be put down. But the Australian government later decided to let him go free after realizing he was probably from Australia after all.
Contents
Joe's Amazing Discovery
How Joe Was Found
A man named Kevin Celli-Bird found Joe the pigeon in his backyard in Melbourne, Australia. This happened on December 26, 2020. Kevin noticed the pigeon looked "very weak and skinny." He started feeding Joe to help him get stronger.
While caring for Joe, Kevin saw a ring on the pigeon's leg. He looked up the tag and found it belonged to an owner in Alabama, USA. The owner had last seen the bird after it flew away from a race in Oregon. Kevin decided to name the pigeon 'Joe' after Joe Biden. This was because people thought the bird's long journey had started in the United States.
The Long Journey Idea
Many people wondered how Joe could have traveled such a huge distance. It was thought that Joe might have crossed the ocean on a container ship. Flying 13,000 kilometres (8,100 mi) (8,000 miles) from Oregon to Melbourne would have been a new record. The previous record for the longest bird flight was 12,000 kilometres (7,500 mi) (7,500 miles).
Government Steps In
The Australian Department of Agriculture, Water and the Environment heard about Joe. They contacted Kevin Celli-Bird after Joe's story appeared in the news. The Department said Joe would need to be caught and humanely put down. This was because they worried he might carry diseases, which is called a biosecurity risk. This news made many people upset with the Australian government.
Deputy Prime Minister of Australia Michael McCormack called the situation "bad luck." He said that if Joe arrived in a way that didn't follow Australia's strict rules, then he would "face the consequences." Some politicians, like Andy Meddick and Martin Foley, asked for Joe to be kept in quarantined instead. They wanted to keep him separate to check for diseases, rather than putting him down.
Joe's Freedom: The Pardon
The Truth About Joe's Ring
On January 15, 2021, Deone Roberts from the American Racing Pigeon Union shared important news. She said that the leg ring found on Joe was "counterfeit and not traceable." This meant the ring was fake and couldn't be linked to any real racing pigeon.
It was also discovered that Joe is a Turkish tumbler. This type of pigeon is known for doing cool tricks in the air, not for flying very long distances.
Joe is Pardoned!
After a full investigation, the Department of Agriculture, Water and the Environment made a new statement. They said that "Joe the Pigeon is highly likely to be Australian." This meant he probably didn't come from another country. Because of this, he didn't pose a biosecurity risk. The government then gave Joe a special "pardon," meaning he was allowed to live freely.
Kevin Celli-Bird was happy about the news. He said he bought special birdseed for Joe to eat. Kevin added that Joe could stay as long as he was happy. If Joe wanted to fly away, he could do that too.
See also
- List of individual birds
- List of things named after Joe Biden
