A blessed racing pigeon arrived on the other side of the world after turning off course while trying to fly home.
Bob the racing pigeon turned off course as he flew from Guernsey back to Tyneside.
The trip should have taken 10 hours, but he went missing halfway.
Fortunately, Bob arrived weeks later – 4,000 miles away in Alabama.
The elderly man who found him said he would not leave and so he called the Monroe County Animal Shelter.
Staff there used Bob’s tapes and microchip to track down owner Alan, all the way back to Gateshead in the UK.
At rescue, the valued pigeon was a little underweight and had oil marks on his feathers, but other than that he was completely healthy.
A spokesman for the charity said: “He is doing well. Enjoy his food for sure. ‘
They said: ‘We had an elderly man who asked us for help.
‘He brought a pigeon with bands to his Mexia house.
“The pigeon did not want to leave, he decided to seek help.
‘Crew member Monica Leigh Morris followed the man to his home and was able to catch this beautiful bird safely.
“After they returned to the shelter, both Monica and another crew member, Megan Bryan, started working to locate the owner.
‘They were able to get the numbers off the tape, but also used our microchip scanner to locate a website called North of England Homing Union.
The ladies followed the instructions and were immediately contacted by the owner – 4,000 miles away in the North East of England!
“We are currently working on a game plan to return this champion pigeon to its owner, who was very happy to hear from us.”
Bob’s owner, Alan, describes him as a very ‘special’ bird.
But he now faces the prospect of bringing Bob back to the UK, which is estimated to cost around £ 2,500 to £ 3,000.
But the cost does not upset Alan at all, who said he will do whatever it takes to bring his prize pet back to the UK.
Bob, the valued pigeon, is thought to be worth around £ 1,000.
Alan believes Bob may have landed on a ship that crossed the Atlantic before flying further to Alabama.
Despite the fact that Bob is still in Alabama, he has been reunited with owner Alan via webcam since the rescue.
It inspired Alan to travel all the way to the US to save Bob and bring him back home.
Alan explained the emotional reason behind how he met Bob.
He was donated by a good friend of Alan who has since died for a charity lottery he held to raise money for Marie Curie charity.
His sister Gillian died of the disease in 2018, and the fundraiser raised £ 5,500.
Alan said: ‘I will get him back somehow.
“It’s a special pigeon.”
He said he feared the worst when Bob did not return from the race back to the northeast.
“Something went wrong,” he said.
‘When a pigeon goes missing, you’re always worried about what might have happened.
“Sometimes they end up dead.
‘When I got the email saying he was found, it was so weird.
‘I initially thought it was in Ireland, but then I found out it’s America … it’s amazing.
“Maybe he got caught in a thunderstorm across the Channel and found his way on a boat going the other way.”
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