Seductive pigeons

Pigeon fancier Yonisbel Santana (above), with two of his pigeons at his rooftop in Havana, is among Cubans breeding the birds as a form of escape. Most people have been staying indoors due to Cuba's worst outbreak of Covid-19 since the coronavirus pandemic began in March last year.

"You can't leave the house," said Mr Pedro Marrero, president of the Seductive Pigeon Promotion Club, a group of people who love the birds and rear them as a hobby.

"We are locked inside. Everything is restricted and we have one place to escape, which is the roof. We go up to the roof, we have our animals and we have a good time there," he added.

Up on the roofs, pigeon breeders get a thrill from watching the feathered creatures vie in the air to capture prey.

Pigeon keeper Leonisbel Santana, 35, said: "To see your pigeon compete against other neighbourhood pigeons, so it may bring the prey to your house, that's the greatest experience a pigeon keeper can have."

The newly passed Animal Welfare Law states that there are no limits to breeding the birds "as long as the hygienic, sanitary and welfare requirements that the species requires are met", according to the Cuban Ministry of Agriculture.

REUTERS

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