Taipei
Once a working-class pastime, pigeon racing in Taiwan has grown into a high-stakes industry involving hundreds of thousands of participants and millions of dollars in prize money. However, the sport is now mired in controversy due to rampant cheating, animal cruelty, and organised crime links.
A booming but murky industry
Taiwan has around 200,000 breeders and nearly a million pigeons competing annually, making it one of the world’s largest pigeon racing hubs. What began as a hobby has become a commercialised spectacle, with top races offering lucrative payouts. Yet the absence of strict regulation has created space for illegal practices to flourish.
Doping, smuggling and crime
Reports suggest widespread use of banned substances to boost bird performance, cloning of tracking chips to fake results, and even smuggling of pigeons by train and boat to shorten races. Criminal groups are also said to be involved, with cases of abductions and ransom demands for prized birds coming to light.
Animal welfare concerns
Animal rights organisations have repeatedly criticised Taiwan’s notorious sea races, where pigeons are released from boats far offshore and must navigate back home. Survival rates are alarmingly low, with some races reporting losses as high as 98 per cent. Activists argue the practice is cruel and call for urgent reforms or outright bans.
Conclusion
While pigeon racing remains deeply popular in Taiwan, its reputation is increasingly overshadowed by corruption, animal rights concerns, and criminal infiltration. Without firm regulation, the sport risks further decline and international condemnation.