Racing pigeons are trained and raced across hundreds of kilometres, and significant numbers fail to return from races, raising welfare questions about the mortality and suffering of lost birds.
The welfare of racing pigeons is affected both during training and racing, and in the extended period following race events when non-returned birds may survive in distress. Pigeons that do not return from races do not simply die quickly: many survive for extended periods in unfamiliar locations, attempting to orient and return home, gradually weakening from exhaustion, starvation, and dehydration if they cannot find food and water. The acceptance of high loss rates as a normal feature of long-distance racing reflects a cultural normalisation of mortality that would not be accepted for other working animals. Welfare-conscious racing pigeon management includes training protocols that minimise loss rates and contingency plans for recovering birds that appear distressed or displaced.