Record amount for a Belgian pigeon

14/03/2017

The Belgian pigeon named ‘Golden Prince’ was sold for the record sum of 360,000 euros at the beginning of March 2017. This is the highest amount ever paid for a pigeon. Golden Prince was bought by a South African from a Belgian breeder in Wevelgem.

Do you simply see pigeons as birds that gather in large quantities on busy squares? Then it's high time to reconsider. Belgium is the world's authority when it comes to breeding pigeons and lots of money is to be earned. The pigeon is much more than a bird that sits around on squares. Just look at Wevelgem's first class prize pigeon “Golden Prince”. He is among the world's very best when it comes to long-distance flights. From now on Golden Prince will go exploring more southerly skies, as his new South African owner has acquired him for breeding. The prize pigeon with Wevelgem roots will now be known as the "most expensive pigeon ever".

The prize pigeon formerly belonged to the top breeder Gino Clicque and was auctioned on 4 March 2017, together with 405 fellow pigeons. The previous record was a price of 310,000 euros for – you've guessed it – another Belgian pigeon, called ‘Bolt’. A Chinese pigeon fancier was the one to pay this gigantic sum. So Belgian pigeons clearly do very well on the market. This is partly due to Belgium's many years of expertise in raising pigeons. Pigeons have been on the up as a sport in China for some time now. Clearly a similar trend is taking place in South Africa.