Well, it looks like Joe the Pigeon’s life will be spared after all and he will live the remainder of his life as a free bird. Hooray!
Joe the Pigeon (named after Joe Biden) supposedly traveled 13,000 km from the US to Australia and the Aus Government thought he might pose a biosecurity risk, so made the decision to kill the poor bastard. However, it turns out that little Joe fooled us all and he’s not actually a yank, but was actually a true-blue Aussie this whole time.
In a statement on Friday, the Department of Agriculture confirmed the good news, as they found that the band on his leg (that indicated he was from the states) was indeed a FAKE. So lucky for Joe, but also, boring that he didn’t actually travel across the Pacific to get here.
“Joe the Pigeon is highly likely to be Australian and does not present a biosecurity risk,” the statement said.
“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.”
There’s been a shock twist in the story of Joe the wayward racing pigeon. Who found his way from Alabama to Melbourne after getting lost during a race. The Federal Agriculture Department has told the man who found him, the pigeon will have to be euthanised. #7NEWS pic.twitter.com/JEJniOUgtx
— 7NEWS Melbourne (@7NewsMelbourne) January 14, 2021
The pigeon was discovered by Kevin Celli-Bird on Boxing Day, because birds of a feather flock together, I suppose. Celli-Bird noticed that Joe looked very “weak,” so he looked after him and then decided to Google the pigeon’s ID (using the band on his leg). That is when he discovered that the pigeon was from Alabama.
Birds arriving from outside Australia can carry diseases that may pose a threat to domestic birds, pet birds and our native birdlife. Because of this, the government said that poor Joe had to be killed.
“Humane destruction of the bird is the best safeguard for Australian poultry and wildlife,” a statement said.
Acting Prime Minister, Michael McCormack, on Joe the pigeon. @10NewsFirst pic.twitter.com/jcZjvmx4nx
— Chloe Bouras (@ChloeBouras) January 15, 2021
Thankfully though, Joe is actually Australian and he can coo on forevermore.
