Mysterious pink pigeons have left the people of Eastville and surrounding areas baffled.
With a number of theories about how the birds ended up so luminous, people have called the Post, sent in pictures and demanded answers.
But now it can be revealed that the pigeons belong to a family man who lives in Eastville.
After chasing confused residents who sent in pictures and speaking to people who live in the area, the Post has discovered that a Mr Singh, of Glenfrome Road, paints a number of his pigeons pink.
The long-term pigeon keeper from India paints his pigeons to protect them from preying birds.
In Mr Singh’s back garden are close to 100 birds – not all pink – kept in pens with the ability to fly free if they wish.
Mr Singh’s daughter said that the birds can fly away but they always return to their keeper.
The pigeon keeper has been awarded trophies for his hobby of pigeon racing and makes sure that they are in tiptop form by feeding them and giving them a lot of special care and attention.
A number of theories surfaced about the pigeons after a family sent in pictures of the garish birds.
One woman went as far to say that the birds can actually change colour if they eat pink foods.
While others said that there was a possibility that the birds might even be a pink tinted breed known as the Columba mayeri.
But if that was the case, the bird – which is native to Mauritius, over 6,000 miles away – would have escaped from a zoo. The family who originally sent in the pictures said that the bird had definitely been painted.
And Bristol Zoo bird expert, Evelyn Guyett, agreed.
She said: “That is definitely not a pink pigeon. I think the family are right in thinking it is a common rock dove that has been painted pink.
“We have Mauritius pink pigeons on show at Wild Place Project, and they are much larger than our native species, and not quite that fluorescent.”
It was also revealed that in Mr Singh’s native country, pigeon racing is a popular sport.
But although the collector’s intentions of marking his birds might be good, the RSPCA told the Post that painting pigeons is wrong.
This is because if the birds were to ingest the dye, there is the potential that it could be toxic.
An RSPCA spokesperson also said that the pigeons may find being restrained – so the owner can paint them – a stressful ordeal.
But a bird expert from the RSPB said that people often paint pigeons at certain events – such as weddings.
Mr Singh was unavailable for comment.
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