- Title: SAUDI ARABIA: Saudis flock to famous pigeon auction in Riyadh
- Date: 2nd February 2009
- Summary: CLOSE OF BOY
- Embargoed: 17th February 2009 12:00
- Keywords:
- Location: Saudi Arabia
- Country: Saudi Arabia
- Topics: Light / Amusing / Unusual / Quirky
- Reuters ID: LVA2WNI0Y7UNHWFTK8O1SFJ5ZIEB
- Story Text: Scores of people gather each week at the famous Abou Turky auction in Riyadh to buy and sell different varieties of pigeon.
Every Thursday, bird enthusiasts flock to the famous Abu Turky pigeon auction in Riyadh.
People from all over come to buy and sell some of the many unusual looking birds from countries such as Korea, Australia, France and Romania.
Veteran pigeon breeder Abdullah al-Sultan told Reuters that some of the most popular birds are those that are specially bred.
"We get these beautiful birds by combining different colours, producing hybrids. For example, a yellow bird married with a black one produces a light yellow, or so-called cream. These are the most commonly combined colours," Sultan said.
Pigeons can fetch between a few hundred Riyals up to hundreds of thousands of Riyals at the auction.
Organiser Turky al-Amair said the auction was back in business after a bird flu outbreak in Saudi Arabia last year kept visitors away.
The auction was closed between 2007 and 2008 after the H5N1 strain of bird flu was discovered in peacocks, turkeys, ostriches and parrots at a house in the east of the Saudi kingdom, and later in flocks of migratory birds. In November 2007, the Saudi Arabia Agriculture Ministry culled more than 3.5 million birds following the outbreak.
There were fears pigeons might become infected with the disease. But Amair said his auction proved to be free of bird flu.
"No diseases were found here, so we have re-opened now and the number of participants has increased, and many have brought their pigeons," he said.
The Head of the Veterinary Section at Dubai Municipality, Dr Hesham Ahmad Fahmi, also confirmed in 2007 that pigeons were unlikely to be carriers of the deadly disease.
With health worries set aside, many, like Adel Dosari from Dammam, can once again partake in this favourite family past time.
"It is a hobby. We follow its news wherever we are in the Gulf, whether in the Kingdom or outside it. It's a hobby handed down from our fathers and older brothers. I consider pigeons indispensable, in any circumstances," Dosari said.
Auctioneer Satam al-Sultan explained the importance of his role at the Abu Turky auction.
"The auctioneer must have a full knowledge of birds, prices, colours. He has to also know the bidders, be sharp and have a good memory. He has to know who offered the highest price, who won the auction and who bought.
It all comes down to the auctioneer," he said.
Pigeons, domesticated for thousands of years, have been used in the past as sacrifices to gods, raised for food and kept as pets. Pigeons have also carried messages across battlefields and from town to town, as well as been couriers of news from distant relatives or reporters, and transported vital medications to dying people.
Nowadays tame pigeons are still used to carry messages, but more commonly are raised for racing, meat, scientific experimentation and "white dove" releases at weddings.
Urban feral pigeon populations are considered health hazards and are often exterminated in large quantities. - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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