(Photo from yangtse.com)
The Asia Tour of the 1st German International Fair of Homing Pigeons kicked off on Friday at the International Expo Center in Nanjing.
Over 6,000 homing pigeon enthusiasts from over 10 countries, including China, Germany, Belgium and the Netherlands, participated in the fair. Pigeon food, pigeon medicine, pigeon vehicles, pigeon houses,pigeon artwork and hundreds of famous pigeons were showcased at the fair.
The homing pigeon industry has more than 200 years of history in Europe. Germany, Belgium and the Netherlands have a long history of training pigeons. The birds have obvious advantages in strength, speed and in flying short and medium distances.
Gerard Koopman of the Netherlands is one of the most distinguished pigeon breeders in Europe. The pigeon Kleine Dirk, bred by him, has repeatedly won world championships. Koopman brought 20 of Kleine Dirk's descendants to the event.
The pigeons at the fair are fairly expensive and some of them are worth hundreds of thousands of dollars. The pure blood of the pigeons and the rich domesticated skills and devoted efforts of breeders make these pigeons excellent. Pigeon training involves short distance and long-distance flights, step by step. And the most important thing is the development of the feelings of the pigeons.
