Source : Perth Now news
Fireworks, smoke cannons or cakes – they’re all ways parents-to-be have announced the gender of their unborn child.
But one couple in Arizona has taken things to the extreme, and caused backlash in the process, by dyeing a pair of pigeons to reveal they’re having a baby boy.
The pair turned to a local company called Sacred Dove Release, who usually provide doves for release by couples on their wedding day, for the occasion.
And Sacred Dove Release’s owner Monica Flores told local news outlet KPNX that it was the first time she’d been asked to have her birds involved in a gender reveal.
After doing some research, she decided to use non-toxic food colouring to dye the birds.
However, after attracting significant backlash for the move, Monica insisted it’s the first and last time she’ll ever dye her birds.
The birds were expected to fly back to their home at Sacred Dove Release once they’d been released, but didn’t.
Local wildlife rehabililator Crystal White took the birds on, and said she’s very concerned about their bright colour.
She added that not only does the dye itself pose a risk to the birds, it also makes them an easier target for prey.
It’s not the first time birds have been dyed for a gender reveal.
Back in 2024, pigeon Polly was taken to Pudz Animal Sanctuary in South Killingholme, with her wings and feet dyed pink and yellow.
But sanctuary founder Shena Fairless told the BBC: “It’s just for a few minutes of entertainment, then the bird has to live with that for the rest of its life”.
She added that it wouldn’t have been a nice thing for Polly to go through the dyeing process, and added: “You just don’t know what might happen”.
