Hurt pigeon rescued; video goes viral on social media

Yetapaka (ASR district): An injured pigeon with the Goodwill Pigeon Racing Society (GPRS) tag found out at Yetapaka village of Alluri Sitara Raju district on Sunday, created flutter after it went viral on social media.

According to Yetapaka police, a fisherman from Thotapalli village found the injured pigeon on the ground and after noticing GPRS tag and a number - 5186, he handed it over to Yetapaka police on Sunday.

Sub-Inspector Parthasaradhi told The Hans India that they informed about the injured pigeon to the GPRS team and they agreed to take it soon.

Speaking with The Hans India, Chinturu DSP KV Maheswar Reddy said that it is a racing bird and might have fallen either due to long flight or after being hit by any big bird. After testing the bird, they handed it over Forest department for necessary treatment, he said and added that this type of incident occurred for the first time in the ASR district.

According to information, the GPRS conducts racing competitions involving pigeons from Chennai to Warangal. But somehow this pigeon missed the track and flew away till Yetapaka of ASR district and there fell. Birds that can fly to a fixed destination and return to its original place will be declared as a winner. Pigeon races are held in Chennai, Hyderabad, Calcutta, Bangalore and other areas in the country. Pigeon racing is not banned under Indian Wildlife Protection Act, 1972, but permission must be taken from the Forest Department.