This TikToker Is Trying To Make The Sport Of Pigeon Racing Cool Again
Have you ever heard of pigeon racing? This lesser-known sport actually dates back to 1818 when, in Belgium, pigeons formerly used as messengers embarked on their first-ever long-distance race of over one hundred miles.
Then, following the spectacle, pigeon racing quickly gained prominence in England, France, and the United States throughout the 1800s.
Nonetheless, Belgium has reigned supreme as the most popular pigeon racing region.
And even though using pigeons as messengers has been outdated since the mid-1800s following the invention of the telegraph, racing the birds has continued on as a popular sport across the world.
In fact, back in December of 2020, one racing pigeon was valued at and sold for 1.9 million dollars in China. That was one rich bird!
Still, despite the sport’s continuance in the modern day, not a lot of people know about it. So, one young pigeon racer named Jai Loft is trying to change that.
Jai started posting videos about his racing pigeons and the sport as a whole on TikTok in April of 2021, and his first seven TikToks all gained a couple of hundred likes from intrigued viewers on the platform.
Then, Jai’s account completely blew up. His following two videos collectively gained nearly one hundred thousand likes and jumpstarted his pigeon racing social media following.
TikTok; pictured above are some of Jai’s pigeons
Sign up for Chip Chick’s newsletter and get stories like this delivered to your inbox.
Now, Jai has over one hundred and thirty thousand TikTok followers, and his videos have received a total of 3.8 million likes.
In his bio, Jai described his mission as “making pigeon racing cool again.”
To do this, he has shared everything from informational clips about the sport and how to care for racing pigeons to day-in-the-life videos where he introduces his various pigeons to followers.
For example, one fun fact you might learn from Jai’s page is that some racing pigeons have broken speeds of over ninety miles an hour.
Another is that some racing pigeons have embarked on recorded flights as long as one thousand and one hundred miles– a truly incredible feat.
So, if you are interested in learning more about pigeon racing and how Jai is bringing the sport to the twenty-first century using the power of social media, you can visit his TikTok account linked here.
If true crime defines your free time, this is for you: join Chip Chick’s True Crime Tribe.
He Served Deer At A Dinner Party Without Telling His Guests, And One Woman Totally Freaked Out
Meet Patrick, A Beer-Drinking Pony Who Also Happens To Be A Mayor In England
More About:Human Interest
Read This Next
