The homing pigeons that forget where they live

Some of the pigeons were exhausted when they were found, according to staff at the RSPCA wildlife centre

What happens to the homing pigeons that lose their way home? It sounds like the premise to a joke - like the road-crossing chicken but in the air.

The truth is, however, some pigeons cannot find their way back to the loft that released them.

But before you can say "they had one job", it does, for the RSPCA, create a problem. These homing pigeons need re-homing.

That, the charity suggests, is not as easy as it sounds, with officers offering to drive up to 100 miles to find new bird digs. But why is the process tricky, and why is the charity seeing an increase in the number of pigeons, once kept by fanciers, coming into care?

Staff at RSPCA Stapeley Grange, near Nantwich, Cheshire, have been rehabilitating a number of pigeons, including domestic racers, after they were found suffering from exhaustion.

The centre reports seeing a surge in the amount of pigeons arriving in the last couple of years, which they attribute to a combination of factors.

The first issue is that some birds, staff say, simply do get lost. Racing pigeons can travel long distances and will stop for breaks along their journey when they become tired. That, the centre explains, makes them susceptible to cats and other predators. Some journeys see them unable to retrace their steps, so to speak, and therefore unable to get back home.

Compounding that, though, add staff, is that birds are being deliberately abandoned by owners who can no longer afford to keep them.

Some pigeons are given up by their owners, and others get lost during long journeys

The centre currently has 18 pigeons in need of re-homing, many of which are thought to have come from the Cheshire and Staffordshire areas, and some from further afield.

But it is not a straightforward process. Some of the pigeons at Stapeley Grange have been in the care of the RSPCA for 10 months.

“They have received excellent care, but now we would love to find them new loving forever homes, as some of them have been with us for quite some time,” said centre manager Lee Stewart.

He said: “It can be difficult finding new owners for birds like this as not many people have the facilities to house them.

“We are willing to transfer longer distances for the right loving forever home - up to 100 miles if we find the right homes.

“We’d urge anyone who is in a position to be able to help us to get in touch.”

People who want to rehome the pigeons must have prior experience, wildlife centre bosses say

New owners will need to have large aviaries and previous experience of caring for domestic pigeons, as well as the necessary time and resources.

Those who are interested in adopting any of the pigeons should contact Stapeley Grange for details.