A unique pigeon lover, whose affection for the beautiful birds compelled him to buy more and more species and eventually enabled him set a record of keeping 6,000 pigeons at one place. "I am a pigeon lover with a distinction of keeping maximum number of birds at the same time in one place," said Syed Abid Ali Shah, a prominent industrialist and dweller of Peshawar.
Talking to APP, Abid said he has liking for pigeon from childhood and his claim of setting record of maximum number of birds is based on his research on bird keeping. "Though accumulating thousands of birds at one place was not aimed at making any such record, but my penchant for pigeons forces me to buy and keep all such birds which I see anywhere and like," explains Abid Ali Shah while showing cages of birds erected in the spacious garden of his flourmill on main Grand Tank (GT) road near Jhagra village.
"Keeping large number of birds not only requires huge resources and space, but also a forceful liking for the birds which compels the captor to fulfil his habit at all costs," remarked Abid who belongs to a respectable Syed family of Peshawar. Abid claimed that keeping 6,000 birds by an individual is not only a record at Pakistan level, but also at world level because he has never heard of anyone keeping pigeons in such a large number nor I have ever received any such information on the internet.
There are numerous pigeon lovers in Pakistan, but the number of birds they keep is mostly in hundreds and in some cases around 1,000 or more, he said.
When asked how much amount he paid for keeping 6,000 pigeons, Abid informed that more than Rs6,00,000 because he purchased almost every bird at a price of Rs1,000 to 1,500. Similarly, he added, monthly expenditure of feeding 6,000 birds is more than Rs1,00,000. "I buy a truck of millet (bajra) every month for feeding the birds," he revealed.
In order to properly care for the birds, he said he also hired services of 10 professionals in pigeon keeping. "It was impossible for me to give proper time to all the birds and therefore I hired 10 professionals who are responsible for caring the pigeons," he remarked.
Majority of the pigeons kept by the pigeon lover is exotic species with rare colour combination making the bird more beautiful. "The costliest pigeon I kept was also an exotic specie which I purchased for Rs15,000, but later another pigeon lover offered me Rs60,000 for the same bird," he revealed.
Abid observed that pigeon keeping has become an industry in the sub-continent, providing job opportunities and business to the people. He said no one use millet (bajra) in their houses as almost 99 percent people use wheat flour for bread, but according to rough estimates the trade of bajra only in Peshawar is around Rs200 million per month.
Similarly, he continued, pigeon keeping is like a saving which one can utilise at time of extreme use. Pigeon keepers usually sell their birds to meet any immediate need of money. In most of the cases like wedding of children or for cure of some treatment, a pigeon keeper can generate funds by selling his birds. Furthermore, he said, numerous people are associated with the industry of net knitting used by pigeon keepers. A large number of people are involved in this business which is their main source of income, he added.
The pigeon lover was also of the view that pigeon keeping saves the children from roaming in streets. He said children who keep pigeon or other pet animals in their home spent most of the leisure time at homes instead of going outside in bazaars and parks. Recent devastating flood that played havoc not only in Kyber Pakhtunkhwa but in the whole country also became catastrophic for Abid Ali Shah as he lost around 2,000 pigeons when floodwater inundated his flour mill on G.T. road. Some birds later died due to spread of several diseases after the flood.
"It was very shocking moment for me when I saw such large number of my beautiful pigeons drowned in floodwater," he narrated. "Still, I have around 3,000 to 3,500 pigeons and my love for the bird is the same as a result of which I will again increase the stock of pigeons to the lost figure," he expressed.
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