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Pigeon Sells For Almost $2 Million After Intense Bidding Feud

These pigeons are not part of the following story. (Mostlysunny. Shutterstock)

Melanie Wilcox Contributor
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A pigeon racing fan from China purchased a bird, New Kim, for a world record price of 1.6 million euros (about $1.9 million), from Belgium’s Pipa pigeon center, according to the Associated Press.

This price surpassed the previous world record set in March 2019 for the Belgian-bred bird Armando by approximately $400,000, according to AP.

Two anonymous Chinese bidders – “Super Duper” and “Hitman” – raised New Kim’s price by $325,000 in a half hour of bidding on Sunday, per AP. The Chinese industrialist “Super Duper” previously purchased Armando for $1.4 million in 2019, Niels Cuelenaere, Pipe project manager, confirmed with Business Insider.

Pigeons. Harris Wicky. Shutterstock.

Pigeon racing, the sport of releasing specially-trained pigeons that return to their homes over a measured distance, has grown in China, according to the outlet, per AP. Most bidders buy these racing birds in Belgium because it has generations of pigeon breeders who organize races.

“These record prices are unbelievable, because this is a female,” Nikolaas Gyselbrecht, the CEO and founder of the auction house Pipa, told Reuters. “Usually a male is worth more than a female because it can produce more offspring.”

“Everybody is interested in our pigeons,” Pascal Bodengien, head of the Belgian pigeon federation, told AP. (RELATED: Pigeons Wearing MAGA Hats Released In Las Vegas Ahead Of Democratic Debate)

Gaston Van de Wouwer auctioned 445 birds, including New Kim, for a total of about $7 million, according to AP.